Saints have 'no chance' in FA Cup, says Hasenhuettl

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said his side did not seize the opportunity to gain some confidence ahead of the FA Cup semi-final after they were beaten 3-0 by relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Monday.

Goals from Matheus Pereira, Matt Phillips and Callum Robinson ignited West Brom’s survival bid while Saints midfielder James Ward-Prowse had a penalty saved at the death to rub salt into the wounds.

Southampton play Leicester City in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final and Hasenhuettl has cause for concern after his side has picked up only 10 points from their last 15 games -- the worst return for a Premier League side in 2021.

“We missed everything that is normally part of our game. When you make it that easy for your opponent, it’s not a surprise you are 2-0 down,” Hasenhuettl told BBC Sport.

“We are all responsible for performances like this. If we play like this we have no chance on Sunday. This was a chance to get some self confidence ahead of the weekend - we didn’t take it.

“When the first duel was lost you could see we weren’t sharp enough to compete... Our best 25 minutes was at the start of the second-half but it wasn’t enough. We made changes but we were gone by that point.”

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce took heart from a solid defensive performance that gave them a platform for victory.

“I warned them about the changes Southampton would make and I think they did better, but probably on the back of a lot of our sloppy passes giving the ball away,” Allardyce said.

“Our defensive unit has been good for a long time and that shows why we’re winning football matches.

“It’s resilient, won’t give much away and that’s been a long time coming for this club from when I first started when five, three and four (goals) were going in.”

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