“We conceded poor goals that put us on the back foot”.
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Agbonlahor has become a hate figure at Villa after he was pictured partying on the night the club’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed last Saturday.
Westwood again handed Villa a lifeline five minutes from time with his second goal of the game, but Sadio Mane killed off their hopes of a comeback with a stoppage-time header.
Southampton continued to press and Virgil van Dijk struck the post as paper aeroplanes rained down from the home stands in protest, before Long had a goal rightly ruled out for offside.
Last week Koeman was frustrated as Saints failed to score a couple of times at Goodison Park, but this week his side were rampant away from home as their attacking brand of football paid dividends.
Ashley Westwood’s double was little consolation for Villa, who were constantly jeered by their own fans after gifting the Saints their first two goals.
Theoretically, then, Villa were back in the game, although it was not enough to spare them being booed off at half-time by a crowd who seemed in no mood to be appeased. Long won, Tadic scored.
Southampton’s Dusan Tadic celebrates putting the visitors 3-1 up in their 4-2 win at Aston Villa.
Defender Jores Okore has been banished from the Aston Villa first-team squad after refusing to take his place on the bench for their clash with Bournemouth a fortnight ago.
Lescott, who had last week described Villa’s relegation as “maybe a weight off the shoulders”, found himself on the receiving end of much abuse on another fractious afternoon at Villa Park.
The Saints retook the whip hand in the early stages of the second half, with Rodriguez seeing an effort deflected narrowly wide.
– Villa have scored as many goals today (2) as they had in their previous seven Premier League matches.
“That is why we are still focused and concentrated on this Saturday (when Southampton travel to already-relegated Aston Villa), because it is still not the end of the season and I don’t like to end the season in a bad way”.
Southampton’s Shane Long reacts.
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Last Meeting: Southampton came into the meeting in November 2014 in third place, but never really the heights as they had to come from behind to earn a point at Villa Park. They have every right to express their anger. Again he watched Villa slide hopelessly to defeat at they edged closer to an unwanted club record of 11 straight losses.
