SAINTS boss Ivan Juric apologised for his side's dismal performance in defeat to Brentford and described it as "like a kick in the head".

Bryan Mbeumo scored twice as Brentford thumped sorry Saints 5-0 for their first Premier League away win of the season.

Mbeumo, linked with a potential January move to Arsenal, piled on the misery for rock-bottom Saints after Kevin Schade had fired the Bees ahead.

Keane Lewis-Potter and Yoane Wissa added insult to injury in stoppage time at the end of another thoroughly miserable afternoon for Saints.

Speaking after the match, Juric said: "It was an extremely bad day. A really, really bad game and it was such a difference between the two teams.

"I'm really disappointed with everything. With the team, with myself, with everybody. It's just two weeks of work but I expected more.

“That I can do it more with the team. After the last game, I had a good sensation that we can compete and with some things that we can do better.

“But today it was like when somebody kicks you in the head. It was a big difference between the two teams. In one against one, in acceleration, in everything.

"I think that a few times in my life, even playing with great teams, I didn't have that feeling where we are competing in everything less.

"It was like too much difference, too much difference. Against Fulham, it was good defending and a clean sheet in the end.

"We created chances a lot against West Ham, a little bit against Crystal Palace and today I was thinking about one step forward and we did three steps back."

The Croatian added: "The players know that the situation is very bad because they went through the bad before and now it's the same thing.

"But in the moment of the difficult, I think in life you have to stick together. Try to work harder and to change things. This is the only thing they have to do."

Saints fans emptied the stadium after the Bees added their injury-time goals but those who remained booed the team off at full-time.

Juric responded: "I feel really responsible and sorry that we have that kind of day. Again, it was awful and without joy for this season.

"For me, for these two weeks, and for them. I think we have to take one day off, think very well, and this day cannot happen anymore."