Aston Villa captain Fabian Delph has conceded that his side's first-half performance in their 6-1 defeat to Southampton was "disgraceful".
Tim Sherwood's men shipped five goals in the opening 45 minutes at St Mary's Stadium as Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, while Shane Long put the game beyond doubt with a further two strikes.
Christian Benteke scored a consolation goal on the stroke of half time, but Delph has admitted that Villa's display was not acceptable.
He told the club's official website: "We have to apologise to the travelling fans. That's the only thing I feel that I need to say. Our fans have come a long way to come and watch a disgraceful first 45 minutes.
"We came in at half time to try and put the first half behind us. I thought we showed a bit more fight and heart in the second half, but that wasn't the Aston Villa they've been watching for the past six or seven weeks.
"Come Monday morning we'll put it behind us and focus on the next game."
Despite their defeat, Villa secured their Premier League status for next season following Hull City's 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Simon Sinclair
