BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl said he could “absolutely live” with the way Saints performed in defeat against Manchester City and added: “I think we had good moments in the game.”

Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne each struck twice and Ilkay Gungogan got on the scoresheet to earn City all three points, in a 5-2 win at Etihad Stadium.

But they were pushed all the way by a Saints outfit who netted through a James Ward-Prowse penalty and Che Adams’s second-half strike.

Assessing the contest post-match, Hasenhuttl said: “I can absolutely live with the way we played because it was exactly what I wanted to see.

“The result, yes, it was not what we would like to see here but in the end it was a not bad game from our side.”

Quizzed on whether he felt his team deserved anything from the contest, the Austrian boss added: “No, because they had more chances than we had.

“The first goal was after 15 minutes and until that moment only we had the ball and we were very brave, played well, pressed them high.

“They had not an easy step in the game to be honest. The first goal (from de Bruyne) was, typically, very clinical. One ball in behind, fantastic play, world class how they manage these situations.

“We didn’t collapse because we are convinced about what we were doing. We kept on going, made the equaliser, had a good chance for a second goal.

“Then a horrible pass from Che (Adams) turned the table a little bit, I think. Until that moment we had a fantastic game.

“This is what I wanted to see, a braver performance.”

He added: “In the second half when you see them, we are sitting deeper because a few players get a little bit tired.

“This is not possible in such a game because, otherwise, they are immediately too strong, to create chances around the box.

“I think we had good moments in the game, very good moments to be honest.”