WHATEVER the questions are, Saints looked like they had long-since ran out of answers as they were embarrassed 3-0 by Brentford in their penultimate away match of the season.

Pontus Jansson and Yoane Wissa had the Bees two goals ahead within 15 minutes of the contest, and besides an Adam Armstrong goal ruled out for offside Saints had little bite.

Kristoffer Ajer finished the contest off in the closing stages with an excellent team move, after Brentford should have already wrapped it all up.

The result leaves Saints with just one win in 10 Premier League matches, freefalling but with the reprieve that there is only two games left to play before the season closes. Their fate will be decided by Burnley, Leeds United and Everton below them.

Academy graduate Tyler Dibling – just 16-years and 79-days old – was named on the bench in this Premier League contest, a week after his under-23s hattrick versus Newcastle went viral.

Joining him on the bench were four of the starters last time out, as Ralph Hasenhuttl reacted to the disastrous form that has seen one win in 10 matches.

Struggling A Armstrong made just his second league start of 2022, with the last resulting in a half-time hooking during the 6-0 demolition by Chelsea.

The number nine had the first chance on his return, forcing a save from close-range after Armando Broja pressed goalkeeper David Raya forcing a turnover in possession. Up the other end, Mathias Jensen almost turned in an open-goal but the ball across to him was behind.

And that was a sign of things to come, as the Saints capitulation began inside 15 minutes. A corner whipped in over Ibrahima Diallo fell to Ivan Toney to breeze past the Frenchman and smash across goal for Jansson to convert.

Moments later, Christian Eriksen played through Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek – who decked themselves and ended up grounding – to Wissa, who stroked in from the edge of the area.

Wissa could have made it a third almost immediately, but Saints were lucky he turned over.

Saints – although a calamity at the back, and never looking sure of any defending – were able to attack with confidence and inspire the travelling support. A number of half-chances came and went as the half wore on.

A Armstrong thought he had scored a first goal since November to reduce the deficit when he powered across Raya from Diallo’s interception, but he was beyond the defensive line and the linesman’s flag went up.

Saints were nearly gifted one back at the start of the second-half. Broja almost latched onto Wissa’s smash back but for a desperate Raya swipe, nearly taking the Albanian out, and A Armstrong could not latch onto the loose ball.

Then it all went flat again. They failed to replicate any dynamism, and Hasenhuttl turned to Moi Elyounoussi from the bench to replace a toiling Diallo over an hour into the contest.

Toney should have put it out of sight but slipped with the ball falling to his feet from a few yards out, but it didn’t matter with defender Ajer then skipping through Salisu and finishing under Forster to seal all three points.

Saints: Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Diallo (Elyounoussi, 64), Ward-Prowse, S Armstrong (Romeu, 83), Redmond; A Armstrong, Broja.

Unused subs: Lyanco, Valery, Tella, Adams, Dibling, Long, McCarthy (g/k).

Booked: Diallo.

Brentford: Raya; Ajer, Jansson, Sorensen, Henry; Norgaard, Jensen (Young-Coombes, 86), Eriksen; Mbeumo (Baptiste, 81), Wissa (Dasilva, 68), Toney.

Unused subs: Jeanvier, Fosu-Henry, Janelt, Roerslev, Stevens, Lossl (g/k).

Referee: Michael Salisbury.

VAR: Lee Mason.