Manning: Carry that performance into the league
Ryan Manning reflected on the positives to take from his side's performance against Premier League leaders Liverpool, despite Southampton's exit from the Emirates FA Cup.
With several changes for both sides, Saints began brightly at Anfield with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake.
Russell Martin's side squandered a handful of opportunities during an impressive opening, but were dealt a sucker-punch blow when 18-year-old Lewis Koumas opened the scoring just before half-time with a deflected strike on his senior debut.
It was another of Jürgen Klopp's teenage talents that put the tie beyond doubt in the second half, as Jayden Danns scored his first goals for the club with a well-taken brace.
Manning expressed at full-time that "3-0 probably doesn't reflect the type of game it was," as his side were punished for not converting their opportunities.
"I think the first half especially we played out relentlessly through them, we had so many chances, but it was probably a game of who took their chances when they came and I don't think we did.
"If we take the ones in the first half, its probably a different game in the second half but it's just the difference that when the chances come we have to be clinical."
"That's literally the difference in the game." Saints' Irish full-back admitted, "I think, on the ball, the quality playing out from the back and getting into those positions we were pretty good, especially in the first half.
"It's just about building on it, using that performance to get back on track in the league and get back to winning games and being clinical, similar to the performances we were putting in during the unbeaten run.
"It's probably [down to] the group we have now and the manager's style that no matter where we go, and I think this is probably the toughest place you can come, we are ourselves and we showed what we can do."
Still firmly in the midst of a relentless run of fixtures, Manning highlighted the importance of building on the positive signs from his side's Anfield appearance, rather that dwelling on the defeat.
"We have to use tonight as that springboard to take into Saturday, every game is like a cup final now. We just have to take it game by game and put in performances like we did tonight, obviously being more clinical, and we should be in a good place come the end of the season.
"[The busy schedule] has probably given everyone opportunities to play, it's so competitive with spaces up for grabs, night's like tonight are a platform to try and stake a claim to get in the team, or back into the team, and hopefully on Saturday we can come together as a group, recover properly and get a result.
"We've got a massive game now on Saturday, Birmingham away, and we have to carry this performance into that game and start getting that momentum back in the league."
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