• e-mail

For all his futile words about wanting to lead this rabble permanently, there was a look on David Unsworth’s face after Southampton’s third of four goals that suggested he might well be better off when the job finally goes elsewhere.

He looked tortured, utterly despondent at the sheer ineptness of this side, too angry to even bother leaving his seat.

And why wouldn’t he be? There was no surprise about what happened here because it is happening every game. 

Charlie Austin gets the last laugh as his two goals in quick succession sink David Unsworth's Everton

Austin twice rose above the challenging Everton defenders to score almost identical goals just six minutes apart

The Everton bench makes for a sorry picture as the pressure begins to pile on Unsworth and his coaching staff

Jordan Pickford is left helpless as Dusan Tadic scores the opener by sliding the ball past the Everton goalkeeper

Tadic celebrates his first-half opener with his Southampton team-mates after scoring his second goal of the season

Premier League introduce fourth officials board in support of the Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign

Wesley Hoedt overpowers Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin to win an early aerial duel at St Mary's Stadium

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE 

Southampton (4-3-3): Forster 6.5; Cedric 7, Van Dijk 6.5, Hoedt 6.5, Bertrand 7.5; Hojbjerg 7, Boufal 7.5 (Yoshida 86), Davis 7; Ward-Prowse 7, Austin 8 (Long 80), Tadic 7.5 (Lemina 78)

Subs not used: McCarthy, McQueen, Redmond, Gabbiadini

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford 6; Kenny 6, Jagielka 5.5, Keane 5 (Vlasic 75, 6), Baines 5.5 (Williams 27, 5); Gueye 5.5, Schneiderlin 5.5; Lennon 5.5, Sigurdsson 6.5, Mirallas 6.5 (Lookman 64); Calvert-Lewin 5

Subs not used: Robles, Baningime, Sandro, Rooney

Referee: Kevin Friend 6.5

MOM: Charlie Austin

Att: 30,461 

Season at a glance

• Live tables
• Fixtures
• Scores

• Premier League
• Premier League
• Championship
• League One
• League Two
• Scottish Premiership
• Scottish Div 1
• Scottish Div 2
• Scottish Div 3
• Ligue 1
• Serie A
• La Liga
• Bundesliga

• More tables
• More fixtures
• More scores

Charlie Austin scores twice in six minutes with a header from the same position to seal victory for Southampton. For more key match details, visit Sportsmail's Match Zone.

 

The only question is whether the new guy is any better at solving the riddle of this expensive, gutless squad than the current one, who has now lost five of his seven games as caretaker.

On this basis, you’d rather be caretaker at a maximum-security prison. An inmate, even.

One statistic in particular told the tale of how poor Everton were in this game — Southampton had scored only four goals from open play all season and here they were noticeably disappointed to only double it. The truth is that Everton somehow managed to make Southampton look like Manchester City. Too good to go down? No chance.

They were weak before Dusan Tadic got this rout started, flattered to deceive when Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a beauty on the stroke of half-time, and defended atrociously for Charlie Austin’s two headers. When Steven Davis made it 4-1, it was the least either side deserved. 

Gylfi Sigurdsson scores a wonderfully bizarre goal from distance to drag Everton back into the Premier League tie

Sigurdsson's strike hits the woodwork of Fraser Forster's goal three times before eventually crossing the line

But ultimately the Everton players were well beaten by the time Kevin Friend blew the full-time whistle

Aaron Lennon goes down under the challenge of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with Ryan Bertrand waiting for the ball

It might well be Unsworth’s last game considering the club’s belief an appointment is ‘imminent’, but even if the botched search for a successor is close to being resolved, the next man might well have doubts after a loss that was about as bad as the 5-1 hiding against Atalanta on Thursday.

Unsworth happens to believe the club isn’t in a relegation scrap, but that is ambition and loyalty getting the better of reality.

What is beyond doubt, and Unsworth agrees, is that the limbo of the manager situation needs solving urgently. ‘The club has to decide and the sooner that happens the better,’ he said. ‘The players need this resolving.

‘We’re in a tough place and things have to change quickly. We have a massive week ahead of us (with home games against West Ham and Huddersfield). I’ve never seen a team that needs its fans more than we do at the moment.’

But it will take more than a supportive crowd to change this side. Take the second and third goals, which were mirror images with Michael Keane and Ashley Williams doing woeful jobs of defending identical crosses to the near post.

Each time they allowed Austin between them, unmarked. 

Sigurdsson (right) is shoved off the ball by Cedric Soares as Everton continue to put on questionable displays

Austin squanders an early chance for Southampton as he blasts the ball well over Pickford's goal

Austin could have easily had a hat-trick after an early effort grazes the Toffees' post shortly before the Saints take the lead

One Everton fan known as 'Speedo Mick' shows he knows how to get into the spirit of things at St Mary's

There was also the opening goal when Leighton Baines managed only the weakest of challenges on Tadic, and a chance that Austin put against a post shortly after Sigurdsson was outmuscled by Cedric Soares, all 5ft 6in of him. Losing the physical skirmishes, the battles of will, is always a bad look in a struggling side.

The manager deserves blame for the repeated organisational failures of his defence — 20 goals conceded in his tenure — and that issue will not be helped by the possible loss to a calf injury of Baines. But Unsworth was also fair in putting this loss and others down to the players.

Unsworth said: ‘When we go into a game situation, if anything goes slightly against us we are conceding opportunities but we are far too easy to score against and it is not good enough, it has to change.

‘If it needs players coming back or new players in January, something has to change. This group of players are underperforming, whether it is Ronald Koeman in charge or me.’

On Joey Barton, who used Twitter to say Unsworth was ‘responsible’ for the loss, the caretaker replied: ‘When we start listening to what Joey Barton has to say, it is time for everyone to go home.’ 

Wayne Rooney looks on in disappointment as he remains an unused substitute by caretaker manager Unsworth

Unsworth is forced into a first-half change as Ashley Williams replaces Leighton Baines, who was forced off injured

Baines limps off after just 26 minutes with the extent of his injury and expected length of absence currently unknown

The Toffees temporary boss lets his frustrations out as his side now sit just two points above the relegation zone

Steven Davis made matters worse for Unsworth by scoring on 87 minutes to complete the thrashing at St Mary's

Austin gets the praise he deserves as he is substituted by manager Mauricio Pellegrino before full time

For Southampton and Mauricio Pellegrino, what a relief after winning just one of their previous seven league games. Ryan Bertrand was superb and made the opener for Tadic, Austin scored his first goals in open play since facing Everton a year ago to the day, and Sofiane Boufal was masterful with his tricks.

Perhaps most impressive was the resilience once Sigurdsson had levelled with a shot that hit the bar, then a post and then the bar again before crossing.

Pellegrino had been under pressure, but now he can breathe a little easier. He said: ‘In football, character is everything, to try to play well, with good ideas, with spirit. We did. I’m really happy with this.’

Unsworth, by contrast, can only imagine the feeling. 

Kevin Mirallas fails to take his chance as he bursts through on goal in only his fifth Premier League appearance of the season

Chaos breaks out in the Everton penalty area as four players battle for the same ball before it is cleared

Chairman Bill Kenwright is yet to find a replacement for Ronald Koeman after his sacking last month

But Kenwright may be forced to find a replacement soon with Unsworth struggling to turn Everton's fortunes around