Report: Harwood-Bellis fires Saints to victory at QPR
Southampton made in-roads on the automatic promotion places in the Championship, as they earned a 1-0 win at QPR that extended their unbeaten run to 15 matches.
With Ipswich losing at Leeds earlier in the day, Saints cut the gap between them and second place to seven points, as Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s goal shortly before half-time proved the difference in a hard-fought contest at Loftus Road.
Russell Martin named an unchanged team for the trip to QPR (Photos: Matt Watson)
Unsurprisingly, after the 4-0 drubbing of Blackburn last time out, Russell Martin stuck with exactly the same line-up for this encounter.
They were up against a QPR team that began the day third from bottom in the table, but that didn’t tell the story of an improving side who had picked up 12 points from eight games under new manager Martí Cifuentes coming into this contest.
And they gave Saints a bit of a scare 13 minutes in, when Ilias Chair latched onto a ball just past the halfway line, looked up and attempted to fire a strike over the head of Gavin Bazunu. The trajectory of it had the Southampton keeper scampering quickly back, but it flew a yard over the bar.
Either side of that, Saints had seen shots from Adam Armstrong and Will Smallbone blocked, while Sam Edozie then whistled an effort from 20 yards wide.
That was about all there was to speak of at either end by the midway point of the first half, and it wasn’t until the half-hour mark that either keeper was tested again, as Bazunu made a decent stop low to his right to keep out Chair’s effort from 18 yards.
Saints were then forced into a change when James Bree went down with an injury and needed replacing. Ryan Manning we sent on for him, resulting in a switch in sides for Kyle Walker-Peters, who moved back over to the right to accommodate Manning’s natural position on the left.
Kyle Walker-Peters moved to right back after the injury to James Bree
Soon after, on 35 minutes, they then created their first big opening of the game.
It came via Stuart Armstrong, who cut inside brilliantly 25 yards out then slid a diagonal through-ball into the run of Smallbone, whose prodded effort rolled agonisingly wide of the post as he was tackled by Kenneth Paal. Smallbone wanted a penalty for the challenge, but referee Oliver Langford saw no infringement.
The game really was in a delicate balance as it approached half time, only for Saints to then grab the upper hand three minutes from the break as Harwood-Bellis put them in front with his second goal of the season.
It came as a result of a foul on Smallbone out near the right touchline, with Harwood-Bellis popping up at the back post to plant a right-footed finish into the far corner after Manning’s in-swinging free-kick had been flicked on by Adam Armstrong.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis applies the finish to put Saints ahead
That proved to be the difference at half time, giving Saints a strong platform to head into the second 45 minutes with.
But it was QPR who started the brighter, causing a couple of nervy moments in and around the visitors’ area, including when Andre Dozzell fired over after meeting a cross at the back post on 53 minutes.
Perhaps with that in mind, Martin made a triple change in the 56th minute, as Ché Adams, Shea Charles and Ryan Fraser were all introduced, in place of Smallbone, Flynn Downes and Edozie.
Saints did then regain control and looked a threat to get a second, without being able to carve out a really big chance.
But, at 1-0, the lead was a precarious one, and Bazunu had to be alert at the other end, saving Chris Willock’s low strike from outside the box in the 66th minute, before Paal bent a free-kick from 25 yards just wide of the top corner.
Saints then went close on 72 minutes to getting what would have been an anxiety-reducing second goal, as Fraser scampered into space down the left and cut the ball back to Charles on the edge of the area, only for Asmir Begović to turn away his well-struck shot.
With four minutes left, Martin made his final change, as the tireless Adam Armstrong was replaced by Jack Stephens.
Saints were then forced to play the final minutes with ten players, as Charles picked up a second yellow for a foul as the game ticked towards added time, but they saw the game out brilliantly and, if anything, looked the more likely to score.
Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Bree (Manning 32), Downes (Charles 56), Smallbone (Adams 56), Aribo, S Armstrong, Edozie (Fraser 56), A Armstrong (captain) (Stephens 86).
Unused substitutes: Lumley, Holgate, Alcaraz, Mara.
Goals: Harwood-Bellis (42’).
Yellow cards: Aribo, Charles, Adams.
Red cards: Charles.
QPR: Begovic, Cannon (Adomah 84), Dunne, Clarke-Salter, Paal, Field, Dozzell (Kelman 84), Dixon-Bonner (Larkeche 67), Chair, Willock (Smyth 74), Dykes (Armstrong 74).
Unused substitutes: Archer, Drewe, Kakay, Richards.
Yellow cards: Dixon-Bonner.
Referee: Oliver Langford.
Attendance: 17,745.
