Ward-Prowse: We lacked the killer instinct

Rubén Sellés’s men held their own in a first half of football that showed plenty of promise, before Erling Haaland’s goal shortly before the break lit a flame in Man City’s battle for the title.

“Of course, it was a difficult game,” confessed the captain. “We’re playing up against a world class side. You need everything in the game. You need a bit of luck. You need good defending, and you have to take your chances.

“I think that was the only thing that was missing for us in the first half was just that killer instinct. I think we had a few good opportunities, but we have to take them, and the timing of their goal was crucial for them and took the wind out of our sails.

“The game got away from us in the second half. It’s a disappointing day.

“I think we always enjoy playing City because it’s a team that wants to play. It gives us an opportunity to press and be aggressive. I think we did that at times today and we put them on the back foot but in those crucial moments we need to take our chances and we failed to do that today.

“I think every game we debrief. We have a look at what went well and what we can improve so we’ll do that tomorrow and look forward to next week.

“Every game is crucial for us now. It’s important for us not to get too down today. Of course, you’re up against a world class side, you have to take the lessons and the learnings from it but get back together tomorrow and look forward to next weekend.”

Playing in front of a sold out St Mary’s, the captain took a moment to reflect on the support from the fans despite a difficult season for the club.

“I think they’ve been terrific all season. We’ve not given them a lot to shout about and that’s down to us but we’ve still got a chance to put it right and we’ll make sure that we, regardless of the result, will give ourselves an opportunity and a chance to stay in the Premier League.”