Their latest defeat leaves Saints rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, four points adrift of safety with eight games to go. And despite the increasingly darkening situation, Saints fans once again turned out en-masse for their team, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Ward-Prowse.
James Ward Prowse said: “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.”
Saints held their own for much of the first half against the reigning champions before Erling Haaland headed the visitors in front shortly before the break. Jack Grealish then doubled the advantage before Haaland notched his 30th league goal of the season. Sekou Mara made it 3-1 with just under 20 minutes left to play but any Saints hope was short-lived as Julian Alvarez wrapped things up from the penalty spot moments later.
James Ward Prowse said: “Of course, it was a difficult game. 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.”
Saints now have a week to prepare for another huge game in their battle to avoid the drop as Crystal Palace visit St Mary’s next weekend. With Saints still set to play Arsenal, Brighton, Liverpool, and Newcastle, there is immense pressure on Selles’s side to beat Palace and ignite their safety bid.
James Ward Prowse added: “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.”
