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Steve Bruce was furious that his team did not heed a warning his players had received all week.
The magpies worked tirelessly to deal with the Southampton high press, but suffered stage fright at St Mary’s on a gloomy night on the south coast.
If the Saints had left the field with a half-dozen goals in the bag, Newcastle couldn’t have complained after handing them gift-wrapped opportunities all night.
Bruce said, “The best team won. We didn’t get anywhere near where we were five days ago.”
“We didn’t take good care of the ball and we gave them two goals. We didn’t do enough to win the game.
“We didn’t handle all the press and it was a difficult night.
“The only thing you can’t do at this level is give them the goals we did.
“We gave the ball away too often. We knew what to expect from them, the full press, and unfortunately, we couldn’t get over it.”
Bruce admitted that a losing streak in the opening exchanges set the tone for a painful night.
He added: “The first 15 minutes were probably our worst period after the break.
“We couldn’t get out. We keep giving them the ball back and when you’re in that situation it becomes difficult.
“Congratulations to Southampton for the night. They were much better than us and we couldn’t deal with them.
“We go up and down too fast. That is something we have to figure out.
“We get along well and all of a sudden we don’t play well enough in the game. It bothers me.”
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