Southampton had a night to forget as they were thumped 5-0 by Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
Russell Martin‘s side went into the game knowing that anything other than a win would end their slim automatic promotion chances.
As it was, they did not just lose, but suffered a defeat of the nature that could be damaging psychologically ahead of the play-offs.
Southampton went 1-0 down in the first-half due to a defensive lapse from Kyle Walker-Peters – who had his worst game of the season – although there was a hint of offside about Abdul Fatawu’s goal.
What happened in the second half was inexplicable, though, as the Saint conceded four more to a rampant Leicester.
It was the second consecutive defeat in a row after an equally disappointing loss to Cardiff City at the weekend.
Southampton did not even muster a single shot on target in Leicester, with the display leaving their fans with little cause for optimism.
Russell Martin makes Jack Stephens claim following Leicester loss
Martin was understandably in a somber mood after the game.
Southampton were without two key players and it showed.
Flynn Downes suffered a knock against Preston last week and Martin made the decision not to risk the midfielder at Leicester given the play-offs were the most likely outcome of the season even before this defeat.
They were also without 32-year-old Stuart Armstrong, who will miss the remainder of the season with an injury sustained in the Cardiff defeat.
As a result, the midfield looked out of sorts and Leicester cut through them like a knife through butter.
The fact that Joe Rothwell – the man selected to replace Armstrong in the line-up – limped off after 39 minutes further compounded the issue.
However, Martin insisted after the game that the scoreline would never have been so damning had he played club captain Jack Stephens.
Speaking to Daily Echo reporter Alfie House, Martin said: “If Jack’s playing tonight, we don’t lose 5-0. My fault.”
Jack Stephens likely to start in play-offs
It was a short and sharp response to a defeat that left the Southampton manager with a bitter taste in his mouth.
There have been questions over the mentality of this group of players all season, with their inability to put games to bed combined with their soft touch defensively often costing them points.
Now, following Martin’s comment on his captain, it seems as though Stephens will be in the team no matter what in the crucial play-off games.
The 30-year-old has been a topic of debate all season, as his return from an injury that kept him out for much of the first-half of the campaign disrupting the side in the opinion of many.
In order to get his skipper into the side, Martin has played Stephens in both full-back positions as well as his natural centre-half role.
He had dropped out the side recently, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jan Bednarek starting the last three.
However, with the Saints desperately needing a leader, it would be no surprise at all if Stephens is one of the first names on the team sheet moving forward.
