Head coach Graham Potter said he couldn’t fault the effort and endeavour of his players despite the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at the Amex on Wednesday.
Goals from Scott McTominay, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba meant it was the Red Devils who advanced to the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup.
Graham Potter's assessment of the game...
“I thought it was quite even in the first half and there wasn’t much in it. It was quite tight so we were disappointed to concede in the manner that we did and go in behind at the break.
“We started the second half really well. Their goalkeeper made a really good save from Leandro Trossard at 1-0 and those are the moments that you need to go in your favour if you’re going to get a result. I think in the end 3-0 is a bit harsh.”
“They brought on some fresh faces, and the second goal took the wind out of our sails a little bit but from then on they saw the game out."
Leandro Trossard has not had a great deal of luck recently, has he?
“Hopefully he’s saving a few for the weekend [against Everton]. The hardest part of the game is to score but he’s got the quality and we know he’ll continue to get goals for us as the season goes on.”
What is the biggest positive you can take from the performance?
“That we competed really well in the game and the effort the lads put in can’t be questioned. They showed good personality and you could see what we were trying to do.
“But during key moments in the game we needed to defend our box a bit better and then put away the chances at the other end, those are the fine margins at this level.”