Saints fans were left with mixed emotions after Saturday’s 5-0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal at St Mary's.
The joyous scenes of midweek which saw the club reach its first major Wembley cup final in 38 years clearly lessened the blow but, nonetheless, it was painful to endure.
Earlier in the season I discussed the benefits of boss Claude Puel's rotation policy and it worked well for a period, with progression in the EFL Cup, home wins and an away draw in the Europa League and steady results in the Premier League.
But there is a line to be drawn and Saturday proved it.
Ten changes to the line-up against an Arsenal squad with strength in depth both in terms of numbers and quality was too much.
Personally I struggle to see how this "yo-yoing” of highs to lows in the space of a matter of days can be beneficial in the long term.
What is of particular concern is Puel's defiance, insisting post game that "...if I had the moment again to make the selection I would do the same again”.
Yet the outcome is the end of Saints' involvement in another cup competition Saints could rightly expect to push on in — when fielding a stronger team — a round before the last 16.
In addition, it was televised and came a few days after the historic win at Anfield — an ideal opportunity to build momentum and revel in success. What transpired was an embarrassing defeat.
Sadly the club suffered a similar fate in the Europa League following a rotated team selection in Prague which saw them go down 1-0 against a poor side previously thumped 3-0 at home earlier in the season. This opened the door for Hapoel Be'er Sheva and they obliged.
In the EFL Cup semi-final Puel got it right. Despite injuries, the selections were strong and the substitutions were the perfect fit.
Some will argue that, for the club to have some degree of success, we must accept the philosophy and that we will suffer disappointments along the way.
Obviously the potential to win a trophy in a prestigious cup final and a strong finish in the league is an exciting prospect and one every Saints fan will be delighted with without a doubt.
However, I still believe there is room for less manipulation of the squad. Particularly at a stage in the season when we have made a cup final, are in a mid-table position and have home draw in the FA Cup against leading and solid opposition.
There is no reason some of the senior players who played against Liverpool could not have started on Saturday. At the very least, the core of the team should have remained — evident after seeing the centre of the pitch controlled by the visitors.
Is rotation required? Yes, it is in the context of a season with so many games. Should it be limited? Yes, there is no excuse for wholesale changes of full-time athletes at the peak of the fitness with access to the best individuals and facilities in sports science, nutrition and medicine.
Maybe a larger squad with have a major impact on the effect of Puel's rotation — i.e. better quality and strength in depth will mean less heavy defeats and cup knockouts and a mixed bag of league results.
Only time will tell on that front and a manager and backroom team which has pushed the club to the edge of glory in a prominent cup competition have earned that.