Saints made to pay heavy price for raising white flag

MARK HUGHES could have been looking in the mirror at one point yesterday as he stood in the technical area, arms outstretched and an incredulous expression on his face. Facing him was his assistant Mark Bowen, striking an almost identical pose as they watched the ball floating back and forth across the Southampton penalty area with very little objection from the defending team. The looks of exasperation were understandable. Manchester City don’t need any encouragement to find the back of the net, as they showed once again early on at the Etihad. Southampton played their part too. Tackles were missed, battles were lost, players turned their backs on the ball. On a weekend when Nathan Ake made one of the blocks of the season to deny Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford at Bournemouth, there were no medals being awarded for bravery here. ‘We were more than a little bit too passive,’ said Hughes (left). ‘When you have got David Silva and Raheem Sterling winning headers in your box, that can’t happen. ‘We must be more aggressive and determined in our defensive play. That was the frustration because we talked a lot about what we were trying to do and that game plan went out of the window. ‘The first 10-15 minutes you have to be strong enough, that is the disappointment. We were never going to get anything out of it because of the opening period.’ Hughes orchestrated an excellent Southampton performance against City last season, ending in an injurytime defeat. This was very different. It leaves Saints two places and two points above the relegation zone. Danny Ings’s penalty yesterday was their first goal in six league games, narrowly avoiding a new club record. ‘It’s difficult when you are down,’ added Hughes. ‘You can’t over-commit because Man City have the ability to run over the top of you. ‘A 6-1 result is not one we take any pride in, but the fact we were trying to create chances when the game was gone shows the character was good. We need to learn from the opening period, but this game is not going to define our season.’