RALPH Hasenhuttl described Saints’ injury-time defeat against Cardiff City as ‘a disaster’ – and admits they will be relegated if they do not improve.

A week after his side conceded a stoppage-time equaliser at Burnley, the Saints manager responded candidly to his side’s home defeat against their Premier League rivals.

He said: “I’m so disappointed, I have problems to find the right words. It was a difficult game, as we expected it would be.

“The opponent shot three times on our goal and we conceded two goals. If we [keep doing this] we have no chance to stay in the Premier League, that is for sure.

“Giving points away in that way, it would be very, very difficult. You can talk about tactics and everything else but the way we gave four points away this week has rolled a very big stone in our way and it will take a lot of work to move it.

“It’s a disaster. We have to sleep the night over because at the moment it feels horrible. But maybe it will feel worse, not better, when we wake up in the morning.”

Hasenhuttl was furious with his side’s inability to hold on to a point.

“The atmosphere changed in three minutes. Three minutes before we were very happy that we could stay two points ahead of Cardiff. And then we gave it away. We know that we have a big chance away. First against Burnley. And now again.”

Hasenhuttl added: “We tried everything to score against them. They took the lead with a very easy goal from a set piece and then we had a big chance from Yan Valery. We had more chances and possession but the only thing that is clear is that we lost.”