West Bromwich Albion manager Alan Pardew has admitted that his side were off the pace in their 3-2 defeat to Southampton on Saturday.
Baggies defender Ahmed Hegazi opened the scoring after five minutes, but the West Midlands side lost the game when the Saints scored three second-half goals.
Despite a late Salomon Rondon strike reducing the score to 3-2, Pardew has said that his side's current injury list did not help their performance.
"It was a tough game for us," the manager told Sky Sports News. "Their midfield looked more technical with a bit more energy than us. [Mario] Lemina was on fire today.
"We made the perfect start but we couldn't build on it. We conceded from two set plays which isn't like us. It was tough for us because of the sort of day it was. We were just a yard off the pace and the injuries have taken their toll.
"Three or four of those players hadn't played before the Manchester City game and they've had to play two games back to back really quick, and we just didn't have enough energy today."
West Brom, who currently prop up the Premier League table, are four points adrift of safety.
Jonny Whitfield
