Southampton's good performance but 2-1 defeat by Liverpool in their Carabao Cup third-round meeting at Anfield is a perfect example of their current problems, according to boss Will Still.
The Saints hit the woodwork early in the tie against the Premier League leaders, before a mistake by goalkeeper Alex McCarthy handed the home side the lead. Liverpool went on to win with a late goal from Hugo Ekitike after Shea Charles had equalised for Still's side.
"We've done a lot of really positive things in the first half, hit the crossbar, somehow missed the goal and they go up the other end and we've put it on a plate for them, which is frustrating but a reflection of the direction we're going in," the head coach told BBC Radio Solent.