DUSAN Tadic is determined to help Saints overcome their Everton disappointment and qualify for the Europa League.

Tadic was outstanding at Goodison Park and would have given Saints the lead but for a deflection that resulted in his stunning 20-yarder hitting the crossbar.

The Serbian winger was frustrated at Saints’ failure to turn a good performance into their first win in 11 visits to Everton, who had lost their previous three home games in the Premier League and were ravaged by injury.

Tadic said: “I think we played well enough [to win]. A game like that could have gone any way but we were playing better and deserved more, especially in the first half.

“We had good chances and half chances and should have done better. But then we were 1-0 down...

"After they got the goal they had more belief but we showed good energy to come back.

“Everton is a good team with good players and they also play good football so we knew it was going to be tough.

“But if we scored before them maybe it would have been a different game.”

Tadic’s screamer, having beaten his man after cutting in from the right flank, could so easily have done just that.

“I felt good,” he said. “I can be dangerous from that situation. There was a slight deflection otherwise it would have been a goal.”

Saints left for Merseyside within 24 hours of Liverpool’s remarkable Europa League comeback against Borussia Dortmund on the other side of Stanley Park.

It was a match that Tadic admits has made Saints even more determined to secure seventh place and with it the possibility of a Europa League place.

“It’s really important [to be in Europe] for the supporters because we want to give them those games,” he said.

With four games left, starting with a trip to Aston Villa this weekend, Saints need three wins to match last season’s tally of 60 points.

“Now we try to take the three points from the next game,” he said.

Virgil van Dijk, who fired just over the bar at the end of the first half, was equally frustrated by the Everton result.

“We were the only positive team, we could and should have done much better with the chances we had,” said the Dutchman, who coped admirably following the loss of central defensive partner Jose Fonte towards the end of the first half.

Van Dijk said the Everton goal took a slight deflection off him as well as Ryan Bertrand after being fired through a packed penalty area, following a corner conceded by Yoshida.

“We were unlucky, they scored off a set piece and it took two deflections,” he said. “I should have done better, but we could have been 2-0 up at least. We’ve got to make sure we win next week.”