Saints fans left St Mary's after witnessing a smash & grab raid by a Newcastle team that was as cynical a side as i have seen all season with a succession of niggling tackles and time wasting tactics.
After the lifeless display at Villa, Saints fans looked for a reaction from the team from this one and to be fair they got it, the home side dominated the game and didn't play badly, but not for the first time this season we threw away a game through poor defending.
We started well enough and dominated the first half hour taking the lead through a Stuart Armstrong header, but the lead lasted only 7 minutes when out of the blue Chris Wood headed home from close range.
In truth the goal was mainly the result of either Moi Elyounoussi failing to hold his position or a strange formation where we played without a right sided midfielder, whichever was the case when Newcastle broke they found that Tino Livramento was exposed on the right flank.
For the equaliser he found himself with three men and no support on that side, that meant that Newcastle could take him into the corner then lay the ball back and have all the time in the world to put in a cross, with time and no pressure they did just that and caught us on the back foot and suddenly from dominating a game to a poor Newcastle side we were back on level terms.
Some might point the finger at Salisu here, he allowed Wood to get his header in, but the cross was a perfect one and sometimes defenders get caught out when that happens.
We had further chances in that half, Che Adams his a stunning drive from a tight angle that crashed against the bar and Armando Broja who was having an off day should really have done better when he took a heavy touch and allowed the keeper to get close enough to make a save.
Second half saw a repeat of the first, Newcastle had a succession of corners and used the same tactic, a high ball to the far six yard line and head back across goal and it was back heeled in.
Now the visitors had the bit between their teeth and they poured forward and it looked like they might get a third, but Saints regained their composure and took charge again.
But despite the majority of possession and several good chances well saved by Dubravka in the visitors goal a late barrage could not rescue a point.
Newcastle inflamed the crowd with a series of time wasting tactics, they constantly went down with niggling injuries requiring either lengthy treatment from which they miraculously made a full recovery or small ones where they waved the trainer away but still stayed down.
Cramp was a constant for them, I have never seen a team with so many players get cramp, or for that matter be able to play on normally seconds after getting up.
At least twice, players rolled back onto the pitch after being tackled to demand treatement.
Add to that a series of niggling fouls and it was as cynical a performance as the Leeds United team of the early 70's would have been proud to have called their own back then.
Why did they continue to do it ? The answer is because the referee Kevin Friend let them get away with it.
I have no gripe in losing the game, Newcastle's two goals were both well worked and well taken, but watching a team see a game through like that was sad to see.
On the night although the Saints team had their spirit back there was still something lacking, as mentioned we strangely didn't seem to play with a right sided midfielder in the first half, several players had off nights, Armando Broja was way off the pace, despite scoring and having another good chance I thought Stuart Armstrong struggled at times and was a little wayward in his passing.
But there were plus points, Kyle Walker Peters was excellent and for all the headlines Tino Livramento gets, it is KWP who is the best full back at the club on current form, defensively he was excellent, his ability to win the ball and keep possession was tremendous and he surged forward in a way that Tino did in the past, but of late has not done so much of, although the fact that for long periods he was the only man on the right hand side probably meant that he had to stay back a little.
It was only a cameo role at the end for Adam Armstrong, but when he came on Saints suddenly looked an attacking threat again, he played with enthusiasm and like a man who wanted to win his place back in the side, this bodes well for the future and it gives up options, I have said in the past that yes if you judge him on his goal scoring record he has not been a success at St Mary's, but when he plays he adds a lot in build up play and creating opportunities for others.
All in all this is a game we really should have taken something out of, but no gripes, we lost because we failed to deal with two situations we should have really have done better at.