Hughes: We need to be more resolute

Saints were beaten comfortably by a Reds team that took control at the top of the Premier League, with all of their goals coming before half-time.

After Wesley Hoedt put through his own net, Joel Matip was allowed a free header from a corner to double the lead, before Mohamed Salah poked into an empty net after being quickest to react to a rebound from Xherdan Shaqiri's free-kick once it bounced down off the bar.

"When you come to places like this you've got to remain in the game and be resolute," said Hughes.

we just made mistakes that allowed them to get a head of steam and three goals to the good unfortunately.

mark hughes
southampton manager

"You've got to understand that sometimes you just have to play the percentages, clear your lines and regroup, and, at times, certainly in the opening period, we had moments where we had good opportunities just to really pressure and stop momentum building and a couple of times we got the fundamentals of defending a little bit wrong.

"Clearly, when you do that against good quality, they have the capacity to hurt you, albeit we conceded with a ball that's just played into our six-yard box that's had a ricochet and Wes hasn't been able to sort his feet out and it goes in off his knee, so that's unfortunate, that's unlucky, but clearly there were other moments where we could have done better. 

"Obviously, we conceded two goals from set plays. At corners, with the strength we've got I expect us to do better, but it's a good header for the second goal, you have to say that. At the moment we just need to make sure we're getting first contact when balls are coming in and we were guilty of not doing that enough."

Hughes added: "It was just the moments where we came under a little bit of pressure, it seemed all too easy for them to score. It wasn't as if we made it too difficult for them to score, and that's always the frustration.

"If you come to this place with the individual talent they have in abundance, if that dictates they are better on the day than you then you have to hold your hands up, but I didn't think in that first half they were markedly better.

"We just made mistakes that allowed them to get a head of steam and three goals to the good unfortunately."