Southampton’s automatic promotion hopes hang by a thread after a crushing 2-1 defeat in the Welsh capital on Saturday.
Cardiff were the 2-1 victors in a game that Southampton really should have put to bed within the first half.
All was going to plan as Joe Aribo continued his recent form, sweping home a left-footed strike following a goalkeeper parry from an Adam Armstrong effort on 12 minutes.
Russell Martin watched on as his side cut through their opponents at will in the first 45 minutes and it looked for all the world that the Saints were going to secure their fourth consecutive win.
Southampton fans’ biggest fears came to fruition, though, with Cardiff equalising through substitute Famara Diedhiou on 68 minutes.
However, it was to get worse still, with 19-year-old Cian Ashford’s strike on 96 minutes deflecting off Jan Bednarek on its way into the corner.
Alex McCarthy again got the nod in goal over Joe Lumley, with first-choice goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an achilles injury. The 34-year-old stopper was powerless to do anything about either Cardiff strike, though.
Martin was rightfully in disbelief at having seen his side fail to win a game which could have been wrapped up in the first-half and lamented his side after the game.
Russell Martin criticises ‘unacceptable’ Southampton
Any Southampton fans nervous about a potential banana skin of a game with Cardiff having little to play for would have felt their nerves ease when Aribo swept home early on.
As the game went on and the Saints continued to miss chance after chance, a familiar feeling would have crept into the Southampton faithful.
The south coast side have all too often failed to win games when appearing to be completely dominant. If they do fall short in their target to achieve promotion then this will be the standout reason.
Draws at home to Rotherham United and Middlesbrough, as well as a draw away at Huddersfield Town this season all spring to mind as prominent examples of this issue.
Martin usually defends his players regardless of the result, but in the wake of defeat to Cardiff he could not hide his frustration.
Martin said: “It’s unacceptable to lose that game with the amount of chances we have. We should have been out of sight. We played some amazing football but it won’t matter one bit because we lost. If you’re not going to be clinical in their box, defend your own.”
The numbers behind Martin’s Southampton frustration
When you look at the statistics of the game at the Cardiff City Stadium, Martin’s annoyance becomes understandable.
Southampton often dominate the ball and did so again, registering 62% possession according to Sofascore despite Flynn Downes missing out with a knock.
The Saints also registered 2.05 expected goals and had 21 shots to their opponent’s 12. The difference being that, of their seven shots on target, Cardiff scored twice. Meanwhile, Southampton scored just once from their eight on target.
The more you delve into the statistics the worse it gets for Martin and his side. His players managed to create five big chances but missed all five of these opportunities.
To create five chances of such quality and fail to win the game is infuriating for Martin. There is little more he can do as a manager to help his side win the game and yet he will face criticism for Southampton’s failure to do so.
Che Adams has been in scintillating form recently, scoring five in the three games prior to the trip to south Wales, but he and Welshman David Brooks were particularly wasteful in front of goal.
As Martin commented, once you fail to convert so many chances you then must defend well. Unfortunately, his side were unable to do this either, leaving themselves a gargantuan task to catch the top two.
Next up for the Saints is a trip to league leaders Leicester City on Tuesday night.
It was a game that had the potential to be huge but, with Southampton now having five points to make up on second-place Ipswich Town, it feels as though the dream may well have died.