Mohammed Salisu was not at his best during Southampton’s 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the first English Premier League week, according to Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Saints blew an early lead against Spurs in London, and the 23-year-old Black Star was at fault for the third goal.
James Ward-Prowse gave Southampton a deserving lead, but Ryan Sessegnon and Eric Dier for Spurs swiftly made it 2-1 at the break.
Despite being in a position to clear the threat with his right foot in the second half, the Ghanaian international scored an own goal. The triumph was then secured by Dejan Kulusevski.
“This is individual quality,” Hasenhuttl told reporters afterwards as quoted by HampshireLive. “Like with the first goal where Kyle [Walker-Peters] is not there to stop the cross. In situations like this normally we cannot concede a goal here.
“It’s easy [for Salisu] to clear with the right foot here. This is simply not good enough at this level.”
“Not the reaction we wanted from the new team. It’s not about changing the shape, it’s about not conceding the third goal. The own goal in the second half was what killed the game,” Hasenhuttl told Southampton’s website.
The Saints’ second game of the season will be against Leeds United at home.
