Southampton head coach: "I'm tired of talking about the decisions."

In the Premier League's 13th round, Brighton drew 1-1 with Southampton. After the match, Southampton head coach Russell Martin gave an interview.

Russell Martin said: "In the first half, after conceding the goal, we lacked aggression and confidence. I asked the players to be more assertive in their actions. Brighton had too many chances. Then, there was the decision in the final moments. I’m tired of talking about this, and I don’t want to be that person. I respect the difficulties referees and assistant referees face when making decisions. It's really tough, but I find it hard to accept."

He continued: "I believe it was clearly a legitimate goal. I was told Adam influenced the goalkeeper. If Adam's run had caused Fäbrian to leave his position, I would understand that decision, but he didn’t move. I don’t see how that influenced the goalkeeper. That’s the problem with VAR; I’d rather make a mistake on the pitch and then say, ‘it’s okay.’"

On the previous controversial decision, Martin said: "I still believe it was a penalty (against Liverpool last week). I argued about it with Howard Webb for a long time; we really debated it. In my opinion, it was still a human error. The error was that it wasn't clear enough to be corrected. On-field decisions carry weight. I’m frustrated, but I’m really proud of my players."

Talking about today’s game, Martin said: "I liked many aspects of the game. I think we played better but didn’t get the three points. I really liked our performance in the second half. In the first half, at times, we lacked confidence and aggression. In the second half, our players were excellent. Against a great team, that’s a good performance."

On the disallowed goal, he said: "It was a good goal. We have a clear understanding of the decision. I have great respect for the difficulties that referees and assistant referees face on the field. I understand why they make these decisions in tense moments, but that’s why VAR exists. I would understand if the ball was passed to Adam or if he was close enough to the goalkeeper to challenge for it. But he didn’t make a move for the ball."

He continued: "If there was offside, then call it. Technically, there’s no grey area. It’s either offside or not. But tonight, it wasn’t like that. If it’s a decision made in a tense moment, you can accept it more easily. But when you’ve waited so long, and the decision is still… I don’t think the goalkeeper was affected."

On Downs’ goal, Martin said: "It was a brilliant finish. A great combination from back to front. I love that courage. We need to keep pressing. If the players continue to give their all, the results will change. Their confidence is growing. We’ve faced some strong opponents. We’ve played well, going toe-to-toe with a team that’s second in the league."

On his conversation with Schürrle after the match, Martin said: "The opposing coach decided to say some things about respect. I’ve never seen the opposing coach try to get so many players booked. Respect is mutual."

Finally, Martin concluded: "We feel we’ve been very close to success many times. Our players are a great group of partners, and they’ve been growing. I believe that sometimes the results will change, and they will get what they deserve. For us, we don’t want to give up on keeping possession as much as possible. That’s our identity. We lacked some sharpness and creativity, so we brought on two strikers. That might make us vulnerable at times, because we have two players up front. I want to see a team I can be proud of. I don’t want to be nervous when we’re defending for long periods. I think we’re still trying to find a balance. Tonight, the players controlled the game better."