Ralph Hasenhüttl was disappointed that Southampton were unable to build on an encouraging first half against Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s.
Having survived an early scare when VAR ruled out Harry Kane’s offside opener, Saints got on top of their visitors and deservedly took the lead courtesy of Danny Ings’s fine finish.
But Son Heung-min scored the first of four goals on the stroke of half time and the hosts found themselves 2-1 down soon after the restart, as Spurs eventually ran out 5-2 winners.
“We had a strong first half with some very good scenes, with a lot of chances from our side,” Hasenhüttl reflected.
“We were compact and disciplined, but had one silly mistake before half time to bring them back to 1-1. Our heads went a little bit down, their heads a little bit up.
“Then you see after half time immediately a big chance to make it 2-1, but we don’t take it, and on the counter-attack we concede the second goal.
“From this moment on, it’s difficult, because then they show their quality and they are mentally on a stronger path.
“We could not push them back like we wanted to. When you have no pressure on the ball you cannot play such a high line.
“We still did it, and this is not possible. We must come back, close the gaps and defend our own box with everything we have.”
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