Saints need to control key times in matches to ensure they get their “reward.”

Manager Mark Hughes saw his side compete with Wolves for the majority of the game at Molineux but fall apart defensively in the closing stages to end up losing 2-0.

It’s been an all too familiar tale for Saints, who have a habit of conceding at poor times in matches.

It has cost them a number of points they should have picked up already this season, and that frustration between points they have performed well enough to take and what they have actually put on the board continues.

Hughes said: “For the most part I think everything we talked about before the game and everything we wanted to do because Wolves are a good side, they keep the ball and get good possession and a lot of shots off on goal – I think I saw a stat they are one of the best at getting shots on goal – we kept them down to four or five shots in the game.

“That showed it’s a decent away performance but at the end of the day you have got to your reward and sometimes you have got to go and take it, or make sure the opposition don’t get any reward for their efforts.

“Unfortunately, we just are not quite getting the key elements of the game right.

“It’s always the first ten minutes of the game, the ten minutes either side of the break and the last ten minutes. Today we got three out of the four, but you have got to get every one of them right and that’s where we need to tighten up.”

Both of the goals Saints shipped were as a result of some poor defending.

On the second occasion sub Stuart Armstrong was shrugged off the ball too easily.

“That’s the truth of the matter,” admitted Hughes. “I think he felt he was impeded, and his shirt was pulled, but we’ve got to be better in that situation.

“Likewise, the opening goal was very similar in terms of the area of the field. We had the warning with the first goal and you don’t allow it to happen the second time.

“The goals were a disappointment clearly because of the impact on the result but just in terms of how well you have to defend at Premier League level, you can’t allow a group of players opportunities to get into key areas of the field by defending poorly which we did on two occasions.”