'Nonsense' setback verdict from angry boss of big Leeds United promotion rival with blame taken

Southampton boss Russell Martin has declared his side’s defeat to Cardiff City as “unacceptable” and “nonsense” - the Saints squandering the chance to move level with Leeds United.

Fourth-placed Southampton approached Saturday afternoon’s Championship clash at Cardiff having won their last four league games, a run which had taken the Saints back to within three points of third-placed Leeds and with a game in hand.

Another victory looked imminent as Joe Aribo fired the Saints into a 12th-minute lead but Southampton then squandered a host of chances to extend their advantage and ultimately left with a 2-1 defeat.

The Bluebirds equalised in the 68th-minute through Famara Diédhiou before bagging what proved a 96th-minute winner through Cian Ashford. The 2-1 defeat for Southampton has left them three points behind Leeds and now on the same amount of games played ahead of a trip to leaders Leicester on Tuesday night.

The Saints are now five points adrift of the automatic promotion places. Speaking post match and as quoted by the Daily Echo, Saints boss Martin fumed: "It's unacceptable to lose that game with the amount of chances we have.

"We should have been out of sight at half-time. By the way, the second half as well, so many brilliant chances.

"We played some amazing football, but it won't matter one bit because we lost. I said something to the players after the game.

"If you're not going to have the conviction and ruthlessness and be clinical in their box, defend your own properly and we didn't."

Martin added: "We put on our most attacking team and the subs didn't impact it anywhere near well enough or positively, but that's my fault for making them subs.

"I thought we started the second half well. We should have scored two or three goals before Cardiff had any chance close to our goal.

"But, like I said, if you don't take that chance then you need to defend your goal properly, and we don't.

"We have six or seven guys in the box, they have four or five, and someone taps it in from two yards, and then the second goal is ridiculous for us.

"It's completely unacceptable to allow someone come in the pitch on his strong foot and shoot from there.

"It's just nonsense. So, yeah. I can't be any more honest than that really.”