NATHAN Jones insisted his side’s performance at Fulham was “much improved” despite an eventual late defeat keeping them at bottom of the division. The 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage was the third in succession in the Premier League since the Welshman replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in November. James Ward-Prowse had scored in both ends following a deflected Andreas Pereira strike and his 15th top-flight free-kick. But Joao Palhinha rose highest from a corner in the final minutes to put Fulham ahead – before Gavin Bazunu denied Aleksandar Mitrovic from the penalty spot. Saints had gone from 28 per cent possession of the ball by half-time to just under 40 before the close of play, with a change to a four-man defence.
Nathan Jones said: “It was very tough to have the level of performance we had today but to come out with nothing. The first goal wasn’t even a shot on goal really but it was a set play we knew was coming and we didn’t deal with it well enough. To put in the performance we did today and come out with nothing is really frustrating because I thought we had the better chances and were really organised in both shapes, and we showed we can be a good team at times. We just can’t keep conceding goals and expecting to win games. Today was a much-improved performance on every level and it is unfortunate we didn’t get a second goal, but we have to defend our box and there is a lesson to learn. That’s what we have to do. We need a little bit more know-how and a bit more discipline in certain elements of our play.”
The slump continuing means Saints will have to fight from the very bottom of the Premier League if they are to rescue survival this campaign. There are 21 games still to play at this stage as a result of the World Cup break but only two teams bottom at the turn of the New Year have survived relegation
Nathan Jones added: “There’s a good side in there but at the minute we’re not giving ourselves a chance. We should have won or got something out of the game because the performance level deserves that. The group is a good group but has a certain naivety to our defending and that’s costing us games. If we defend a set play better we wouldn’t have needed a change, but in the second-half it proved we just needed a little bit more quality in those areas. I thought the level of performance today was very good and they have very good individuals, like (Aleksandar) Mitrovic for example, who were limited to very little. He’s a top striker, Willian, (Andreas) Pereira, they’ve been a fantastic high-scoring team but today they’ve relied on two set plays, and that’s the most frustrating thing.”
