Crystal Palace-Club

RALPH Hasenhuttl declared “maybe we are not good enough” after Saints all-but buried their top-half ambitions with a late 2-1 defeat to mid-table challengers Crystal Palace. Substitute Wilfried Zaha struck in added time after Oriol Romeu and Eberechi Eze goals had cancelled each other out earlier in each half. The result sees Saints drop to 15th in the Premier League with just three matches to go – three points behind the top 10, but with others boasting games in hand. Hasenhuttl delivered a scathing assessment of his side after a dull and disappointing display in the penultimate home contest of the season. “You can see how we conceded the first goal, how easy we give it away,” Hasenhuttl said. “We are in some positions at the moment lacking quality, this is not only for the players who have started but also for the players that are coming on. “They are far away from the level they have shown and this is the reason why we are not good enough to play what we have shown.” He continued: “It’s not bad if you have something like that (Zaha as a substitute), I must say I expect more from my guys coming on. "This is what we are lacking at the moment, Broja is not the same like he has been a few months ago. This is the difference at the moment. "It is very hard to take but this is the realistic thing that we are always coming into this situation that we can make this up and we fail. Maybe there is a reason for that, and maybe because we are not good enough.” The Ivorian international snatched three points from St Mary’s with time running out in the contest, despite receiving the ball with back to goal and a defensive line behind him. A slight touch off Mohammed Salisu helped guide the ball low beyond Fraser Forster, but Hasenhuttl lamented how the situation became a threat in the first place. “We haven’t been exposed, we had fresh players on the pitch and we had a situation where a guy gets the ball around the box with four players around him and can still turn and shoot into the corner,” Hasenhuttl said. “For me, this is not really a goal situation. Not something where I think, ‘this is getting dangerous’, and we concede a goal. “I can speak about everything, the shape – the key is that we hardly win games when you concede two goals and that is a fact, and what is different from other home wins this season.” A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo. Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website. You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more. Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself. Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News

RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted frustration that “the opponent was not really that good today” yet Saints still slipped to a 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Oriol Romeu headed Saints into an early lead but a second-half goal by Eberechi Eze presented substitute Wilfried Zaha with the chance to net the winner in added time. It was a flat contest but Palace were the team that looked like threatening following the interval, with Stuart Armstrong the only Saints player who had an opportunity to score – blazing over in the final 10 minutes. The visitors registered 61 per cent possession, six more shots and an additional corner to Saints. However, Hasenhuttl felt the match was there for the taking. “I think we didn’t see a very good game today,” he said, speaking after the match. “Two teams who haven’t played on their highest level. “The little better one, if you want the team with a little better subs today, made the difference. For us, a very disappointing day because we had a big chance after a good start but couldn’t hold the level. “The level is a bit much to say, there wasn’t much of a level to this game, but by the end you can still win it and this is the most disappointing part.” Hasenhuttl continued: “We have full knowledge that we can play much better football than we are doing at the moment, we have shown that this season. “Also the opponent was not really that good today but at the moment all teams are looking for results and we couldn’t manage it today, it’s not nice to watch and this is the disappointing thing for me.” A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo. Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website. You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more. Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself. Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News