Hasenhüttl rues deficiencies at both ends
Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl rued his side’s performance at both ends of the pitch as Southampton fell to a 3-0 defeat to Leeds at Elland Road.
Saints started brightly in West Yorkshire but were denied a lead at the halfway stage by two tight decisions.
A penalty awarded for a foul on Nathan Tella was overturned by VAR, before Ché Adams’s finish from a quickly taken free-kick was brought back by referee Andre Marriner, having been taken milliseconds before he blew his whistle.
However, the hosts were resurgent after the break to comprehensively see off the visitors, leaving Hasenhüttl to reflect on a difficult night.
“They deserved the three points,” he said. “Especially in the second half, they were the much better team and killed us with one-against-one quality and with more energy in the second half. This was the reason why we lost today.
“We knew that they would try more because in the first half we had everything under control. We were good in the game.
“The way the [first] goal happened is a disaster to be honest. It can never happen in that easy way. It is then difficult after this because the opponent gets a lift.
“We had chances before the second goal, we had a big chance but didn’t score and then the opposite is immediately a goal.
“The final punch in the final third is not there at the moment and we struggle with scoring goals at the moment and conceding always, which is not a good combination.”
