RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted Friday night’s defeat against Leicester has left a ‘permanent mark’ on his and the players’ faces.

Saints put in a much better performance against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup at the Etihad Stadium despite losing 3-1.

And in the wake of the City loss, Hasenhuttl revealed how difficult he has found the last few days following their humiliation at St Mary’s.

Speaking to BBC Solent, Saints’ boss said: “Tough is the wrong word. It was a challenge for me to find the right words and the right meetings and the right answers.

“It was something new also for me. I’ve never had a situation in my life or managing career like that.

“It is still there, and you can’t forget it. This mark we have on our face now, when somebody is not doing enough they should look in the mirror and think about this game.

“Maybe this is the chance to get a benefit from the game as stupid as that sounds.

“This is what I tried to tell them, and I think they understood.”

Saints’ 9-0 defeat on Friday has seen the club placed under the microscope for all the wrong reasons, with the commitment of the players coming into question.

Although they failed to make any kind of impact during the first half at the Etihad, they responded with a much better performance.

A brace from Sergio Aguero and a goal from Nicolas Otamendi left Saints with a mountain to climb in spite of Jack Stephens’s header 15 minutes from time.

Despite the loss, Hasenhuttl hopes their reaction to the club’s heaviest defeat in their 133-year history will go someway to apologising for last Friday.

He added: “It couldn’t get worse than last week.

“It was the main goal that we had. We had to find an answer for ourselves about what happened on Friday and why it happened.

“I think the habits and mentality today was a different one.

“We found the right words. We were very critical and got everything out.

“We are trying to say sorry for Friday because we have this mark now and I think the time of the season that this happened can be a big chance for us.

“If it was at the end and we were struggling in a relegation battle then it would be horrible. At the moment, I think it can help us see things clearer. It means I can see the players I can trust.”