"The best team won: we didn't get anywhere near where we were five days ago. We didn't look after the ball well enough and we gifted them two goals.

"We didn't do enough to win the game. We didn't handle the full press and it was a difficult night.

"The one thing you can't do at this level is give them the goals we did. We gave the ball away far too often. We knew what to expect from them - the full press - and unfortunately we couldn't play through it.

"The first 15 minutes was probably our worst spell after half-time. We couldn't get out. We kept giving the ball back to them and when you're in that situation it becomes difficult for.

"Congratulations to Southampton on the night. They were far better than us and we couldn't cope with them.

"We weren't aggressive enough and we found it very difficult. The goals we gave away probably summed up our evening. We gave it away far too cheaply and far too often.

"To do it you have to be good with the ball and make sure you look after it better than we did. That's why the players play at this level because they are expected to.

"From six minutes in we gifted them the first goal then it was a difficult night all round. We were nowhere near where we were five days ago. That's my biggest issue - that we go up and down. It was a poor, poor performance.

"We were a shadow of the team I saw against Everton. We have to make sure we're better against Chelsea. There's a few shirts available, a few place up for grabs.

"We had to play it forward quickly and off the front but we just couldn't do it. It was a really difficult evening. We were beaten by the better team."

Newcastle lost for the first time away from home this season on Friday night, gifting the hosts a goal in each half at St. Mary's Stadium.

Victory for the Saints took them to the top of the Premier League for the very first time and they could easily have triumphed by a more emphatic margin.

Kick-off coincided with a barrage of fireworks exploding outside the ground, but they failed to rouse United and they were caught out within seven minutes.

Karl Darlow blocked a Che Adams shot but when the rebound fell to Miguel Almiron, a misguided dribble on the edge of his own box saw him robbed - Adams taking full advantage at the second time of asking.

Newcastle gradually found a way back into that game but aside from Sean Longstaff's on-target header failed to threaten the Southampton goal and always looked vulnerable to a rapid Saints counter.

Theo Walcott should have added to his considerable goal tally against United two minutes before the interval, but blasted his shot high into the stand.

Steve Bruce's side failed to heed that warning though and were even more dishevelled after the interval, continually caught in possession and incapable of successfully completing passes.

Darlow tipped Oriel Romeu's rising shot onto the goal frame and Jamaal Lascelles appeared fortunate not to concede a penalty after clipping Walcott in the area as the Saints sought to kill the game off.

United's previous two away games had seen them perform with similar ineptness, only to fashion improbably late goals from set pieces and collect a point.

Southampton though would succeed where both Spurs and Wolves failed, scoring a clinching second with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Again the assist came from a visiting player, Sean Longstaff fatally dwelling on the ball outside his area and Stuart Armstrong shimmying forward to bury a low shot.

United did belatedly get another effort on target; substitute Joelinton's header clawed away by the otherwise under-employed Alex McCarthy.

However that was a rare moment of possession in the final third; the front pairing of Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson unproductive and opportunities to win yet another face-saving penalty kick minimised by our inability to actually reach the Southampton box....

Newcastle's results may have been inconsistent so far this season, but the lack of forward threat displayed here tonight was disturbingly familiar. At times we committed players forward, but were no more threatening than in games when far less expansive. Callum Wilson got 19 touches of the ball.

Attempts at emulating the Southampton press were continually undermined by carelessness on the ball - leading to an almost constant sense of panic. Our distance covered statistics may have improved, but much of it was slapdash and lacked poise. Too many players were busy doing nothing.

We may stumble into moments of occasional inspiration on the field, but more often we just stumble. On another night this could have been a hatful.

PS: Already without Ryan Fraser after he reported a hamstring injury, it was confirmed post-match that Callum Wilson was substituted with a similar ailment and faces a scan. The dark nights are here again.

Biffa