Report: Saints dig deep to win at QPR

Jay Robinson’s 55th-minute opener was followed 14 minutes later by a sumptuous second from Leo Scienza, who enhanced his growing reputation with a solo goal to savour in West London.

Hosts QPR needed only four minutes to start their fightback, responding to Scienza hobbling off by halving the deficit through Rumarn Burrell, before pushing hard for a late leveller, but Saints held on, helped by a flying stoppage-time save from recalled goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

Eckert made four changes to Will Still’s last line-up, with Jack Stephens returning to captain the side in front of Bazunu, who reclaimed his place in goal.

Tom Fellows started as Saints’ right wing-back, while Robinson was recalled ahead of him, as Alex McCarthy, Ronnie Edwards, Mads Roerslev and Finn Azaz dropped to the bench.

Saints made a bright start, with Adam Armstrong’s early shot deflecting wide for a corner, before Scienza’s ensuing delivery was headed off target.

Then QPR goalkeeper Paul Nardi got himself into a spot of bother when a feisty backpass left the keeper under pressure on his own goal line, as the home crowd showed signs of anxiety inside the first five minutes following a 4-1 home defeat last time out.

Interim manager Tonda Eckert took charge of the first team for the first time

Saints were threatening again when Fellows went down the right and crossed from the byline for Robinson, whose flick on looked set to be converted by Ryan Manning at the far post, only for Paul Smyth to get his body between Manning and the ball to deny a certain goal.

The hosts began to grow into the game around the 15-minute mark, as Saints survived a couple of close shaves from QPR corners.

First Nicolas Madsen’s deflected shot was cleared from just in front of Bazunu’s dive by Flynn Downes, before Liam Morrison sent a free header wide of the target from eight yards.

Saints looked susceptible from another set-piece when Ilias Chair’s delivery from deep ricocheted kindly into the path of Burrell, but his touch was heavy, forcing him to cut the ball back instead of going for goal himself.

When Saints did clear a Chair corner, the ball was returned to the taker, who cut inside Manning but dragged his shot wide of the near post from 20 yards.

The visitors had a set-piece of their own when Scienza was brought down by Madsen for the game’s first yellow card, before Manning’s ball picked out Stephens who had peeled away around the back.

Leo Scienza glides towards goal en route to scoring Saints' memorable second

When the skipper played the ball across goal invitingly towards Taylor Harwood-Bellis, it took a miraculous intervention from the QPR defence to clear the danger, though Stephens was subsequently flagged offside in any case.

It was not a first half to live long in the memory, but the second period got off to a perfect start when Robinson struck the opener 10 minutes into it.

The 18-year-old stole the ball from Amadou Mbengue before combining with Armstrong, whose square pass inside was taken in his stride by Robinson, who skipped past his man and saw a low shot deflect up into the top corner off the retreating Mbengue, who eagerly tried to atone for his error in vain.

QPR’s immediate response was to force Bazunu into his first save of the night, sprawling to his right to keep out Burrell’s low drive, but Saints gained confidence from scoring first, and doubled their lead 14 minutes after doing so.

This was pure individual brilliance from Scienza, accelerating the rapid rise of his popularity among the Saints fans.

Receiving the ball from Finn Azaz inside his own half, Scienza turned and drove forward with the ball at his feet, taking a series of tight touches with his right foot as he glided into shooting territory before curling a stunning curling shot beyond the full-length dive of Nardi.

It was a goal fit to crown a victory, but within four minutes Saints’ comfortable lead was looking shaky, as Scienza hobbled off with an injury and Burrell pounced on a ball over the top, plucking it out of the sky to round Bazunu as the keeper advanced before rolling the ball into the unguarded net.

Rangers smelled blood, as a low ball driven across goal by substitute Kader Dembele only just eluded the sliding Burrell at the far post, before Dembele went for goal himself from the tightest of angles, flashing a shot just past the same upright.

Saints had to dig deep to hang on, with Mads Roerslev and Joe Aribo introduced following the earlier arrivals of Finn Azaz and Damion Downs.

With six minutes of stoppage time to withstand, Saints were pinned back, but Bazunu’s acrobatics to deny Jimmy Dunne’s glancing header proved a match-winning moment every bit as important as Scienza’s magic.

QPR: Nardi, Dunne (c), Morrison (Field 86), Mbengue, Norrington-Davies, Smyth (Dembele 62), Varane (Morgan 86), Madsen, Saito (Kone 70), Chair, Burrell.

Unused substitutes: Hamer, Cook, Hayden, Vale, Bennie.

Goal: Burrell (73’).

Booked: Madsen.

Southampton: Bazunu, Fellows (Roerslev 72), Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens (c), Manning, Downes, Jander, Robinson (Azaz 66), Scienza (Aribo 72), Armstrong (Downs 66).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Quarshie, Edwards, Bragg, Matsuki.

Goals: Robinson (55’), Scienza (69’).

Booked: Jander, Downes, Wood.

Referee: James Bell.

Attendance: 16,404.