Southampton manager Claude Puel has claimed that it was "too difficult" for his side to recover from the sending-off of Nathan Redmond against Tottenham Hotspur.
At 2-1 down, Redmond was dismissed for a foul on Dele Alli inside the penalty area and although Harry Kane missed the resulting spot kick, Spurs would eventually ease to a 4-1 success.
Despite criticism of the call made by Mike Dean, the referee's decision to hand out a red card was correct as Redmond failed to make an attempt to win the ball, and Puel admitted that it gave their opponents the chance to see out the fixture.
The 55-year-old is quoted by BBC Sport as saying: "With the red card it was too difficult to come back and we conceded another two goals. The red card is the end of the game for us.
"The two players went for the ball, I don't know I didn't see the action. This gave Spurs the opportunity to win the game."
Southampton remain in eighth position in the Premier League table.
Darren Plant
