Saints striker Rickie Lambert said there was no need for goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to apologise to his teammates following his blunder against Norwich.

Gazzaniga allowed a tame free-kick from Robert Snodgrass to sneak by him at the near post last night, handing the Canaries a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s.

Lambert, who had given the home side the lead, revealed that the 20-year-old cut a dejected figure in the dressing room after the match.

“He didn’t have to apologise to us,” said Lambert. “You could see he was disappointed.

“He has done really well the last few weeks and it was a just little lapse in concentration.

“He is more disappointed than us and these things happen. It is how you respond to it.”

The draw meant that Saints extended their unbeaten Premier League run to four matches.

However, they have also slipped back into the relegation zone.

Lambert admitted he was frustrated that the team had failed to seize the opportunity to win a third consecutive game.

“I am definitely frustrated not to get the three points,” said Lambert, whose goal marked his sixth strike of the season.

“I thought we played really well in the first half and I thought we were definitely going to win it.

“We’ve come in disappointed at half-time and felt we could have pushed on in the second half.

“We haven’t managed to do that so, yeah, I am disappointed.”

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