Southampton beat Queens Park Rangers by five at St Mary’s after a professional and ruthless display. Sainstmarching.com notes that several Saints put in outstanding performances.
Finn Azaz curled in from range early to set the tone. As the Rangers chased an equalizer, Taylor Harwood-Bellis headed against the post in the 38th minute. Kuryu Matsuki then headed into Léo Scienza’s corner just before half-time.
Moments after the restart, Matsuki took advantage of a rebound from Scienza’s shot to make it three. Scienza added the fourth with a low shot that slipped through the far post.
James Bree finished off the score with a good shot from the edge of the area to make it 5-0.
Daniel Peretz dominated his area and handled high balls with calmness. Harwood-Bellis excelled at both ends, while Bree, Azaz and Cyle Larin impressed throughout.
In midfield, Flynn Downes and Caspar Jander looked steady, and Ryan Manning steadied himself after a difficult first half. The result lifts Southampton to seventh place in the championship, four points off the play-off places.