Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl offered no excuses after their 3-1 defeat to Everton.
The visitors took a deserved lead into the half-time interval thanks to a debut goal scored by new acquisition Adam Armstrong, but were overrun after the break as Everton hit back with three strikes to seal victory.
"If we analyse it, the first half was really good, nice. We couldn't hold that level in the second half", the boss reflected. "They [Everton] were very strong in the second half.
"An easy first goal and that pushed them, definitely. Not a good moment. We didn't really have the strength to push back. This was the reason why we lost.
"We tried to keep them away from our box, scored a goal. That bit was okay. For Adam [Armstrong] to score, it was a big moment for him and for the team.
"Tino [Livramento] is a very dynamic young player with a good mentality and the defensive qualities that we need. Today he had a very strong opponent and most of the time he was very good against him. With the ball he showed some good skills, I'm happy for him."