Ralph Hasenhuttl has accepted “100 per cent responsibility” for the worst result in Southampton’s history but is unsure how the humiliating 9-0 thrashing by Leicester will affect his players.
Apologetic Saints boss Hasenhuttl has a major inquest on his hands after Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes ran riot on an astonishing night at St Mary’s.
Hat-tricks from Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy helped the rampant visitors equal the biggest Premier League win, while also breaking the record for the most convincing away success in the English top flight.
Southampton’s embarrassment was their greatest defeat since the club was founded in 1885, surpassing a trio of 8-0 losses, the most recent of which came at Everton in 1971.
Austrian Hasenhuttl, whose team now face daunting back-to-back games at Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and league, says he must wait to discover the psychological impact of the drubbing on his squad.
“We will see what this will do with our team. I cannot give you the answer now. I can give you the answer after the next games,” said Hasenhuttl.
“I take 100 per cent responsibility for what happened.
“We have to apologise for what happened and stand up again.
“You can call it helpless, you can call it whatever you want. It was a disaster.
“In my entire life, I haven’t had a game like this and I also thought that this cannot happen.”
Goals from Ben Chilwell, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison completed a remarkable scoreline as Leicester matched Manchester United’s 9-0 win over Ipswich in 1995 to climb to second on the table.
Saints’ cause was severely hindered by the early dismissal of Ryan Bertrand, who became the first Premier League player to be sent off following a VAR review after a dangerous challenge on Perez in the build-up to Chilwell’s 10th-minute opener.
Foxes boss Rodgers believes the rout demonstrates his team are developing into a merciless force.
“All round collectively it was an absolutely outstanding night and brilliant for the supporters to travel all the way down here on a wet night,” said Rodgers.
“To see the team score nine goals and be very focused, hopefully they will be very proud.
“It shows we’re making steps to being a ruthless side.”
