Report: Saints hit four to continue fine form

Kuryu Matsuki opened the scoring, just as he did against West Ham a week ago, and should really have found the net before his sharp turn and shot gave Saints an 11th-minute lead at St Mary’s, having already blazed over the bar from an even kinder chance.

Lewis Dobbin thought he had followed up his first Saints goal at the London Stadium with a first on home soil when his glancing header nestled in the bottom corner just before half time, but the goal was subsequently ruled out because Jack Stephens was in an offside position despite not touching the ball.

Saints did double their lead when another player did open his St Mary’s account, as Academy graduate Cameron Bragg scored his first league goal for the club with a low drive that deflected on its way into the net.

Keven Schlotterbeck was another without a home goal until he headed home Ryan Manning’s corner midway through the second half, and Richard Kone’s immediate reply never threatened an unlikely Rangers revival as Welington added a very late fourth deep into stoppage time, becoming the third Saint to score his first St Mary’s goal.

Tonda Eckert made one enforced change to his Saints side that produced a statement victory at West Ham last time out, with Caspar Jander unable to feature following his first start of the season at the London Stadium.

With Flynn Downes only fit enough for a place on the bench, Bragg came into the midfield, but Cyle Larin was still missing from the matchday squad with the injury he sustained in a first-half collision with former teammate Gavin Bazunu, now of Bolton, a fortnight ago.

The biggest St Mary's attendance of the season so far observed a minute's silence before kick-off to mark Saints' closest home fixture to Remembrance Day

Saints should have been in front inside five minutes. After Leo Scienza combined smartly with Finn Azaz down the left, the Brazilian’s cross was beyond Dobbin and found Matsuki completely unmarked 10 yards from goal.

The Japanese has been in good goalscoring form of late, including his very early opener at West Ham, but this time the ball bounced up in front of him and he couldn’t keep his shot down, blazing high into the Northam Wall.

QPR came close to an early opener of their own when former Saint Ronnie Edwards headed against Daniel Peretz’s crossbar, but the referee’s whistle had already gone for an off-the-ball infringement.

Instead Matsuki would make amends for his miss with a sharp turn and finish to fire the hosts in front in the 11th minute.

Again Scienza was involved, this time trading passes with Dobbin before his deflected shot fell kindly for Matsuki.

Still with plenty to do, the midfielder did it superbly, controlling the ball with his back to goal with his left foot and swivelling to score with his right in the blink of an eye.

QPR responded with a header over the bar from Paul Smyth and a shot driven into the sidenetting by Kwame Poku, suggesting this would be no foregone conclusion, but Saints might have doubled their lead without a flying save from Pierce Charles.

When Manning’s inswinging corner was met by a towering leap from Schlotterbeck, the highly-rated Charles, younger brother to former Saint Shea, flung himself impressively to push it over.

Meanwhile, Peretz was forced into an unorthodox save at the other end, stooping to his right to claw the ball out after a QPR header took a looping deflection, and then had to gather Smyth’s fierce shot at the second attempt.

It had been entertaining stuff, with the visitors playing their part, but Saints’ intention to add to their lead and take the game away from the opposition was clear.

Kuryu Matsuki wheels away to celebrate his fourth goal in his last seven Saints appearances

Matsuki was having a busy afternoon, threatening to score a second with a right-footed effort that just veered away from the target after more good approach play from Scienza, who was having his best game for some time.

After Kone pulled a left-footed shot wide of the far post, Scienza was soon setting up another chance, releasing James Ward-Prowse as the unlikely leader of a Saints counter-attack.

Perhaps the midfielder should have been more selfish, but instead of going for goal himself he played in Dobbin to his left, whose shot from a narrow angle was deflected behind for a corner.

When Scienza delivered the resulting set-piece, Dobbin duly glanced home his first St Mary’s goal – or so he thought, only for the officials to rule it out due to Stephens making a play for the ball from an offside position just in front of Charles, even if the Saints skipper didn’t get a touch, much to the frustration of the masses.

Undeterred after the restart, Saints were straight back on the front foot, and Bragg’s moment arrived 10 minutes into the second period.

Dobbin’s willingness to stretch the defence laid the foundations, chasing a ball over the top, burrowing his way into the box and seeing a shot blocked before Manning’s cutback from the byline was cleverly left by the striker, allowing Bragg to step on to the ball and hit a first-time shot with his left foot that got a helpful touch on the way through from QPR skipper Jimmy Dunne.

It was a special moment for the youngster, who turned 21 on Wednesday and has bounced back so impressively since he was sent off in the south coast derby against Portsmouth three weeks ago with his first home goal for his boyhood club.

The to and fro nature of the first half had given way to Saints dominance in the second.

Charles made flying saves to deny Scienza and Dobbin from distance, but the hosts would not be denied as Schlotterbeck was left unopposed to head home Manning’s 66th-minute corner at the far post.

Kone, scorer of a hat-trick inside the first 15 minutes of QPR’s 5-0 thrashing of high-flying Swansea last time out, kept his good run going by firing past Peretz via the keeper’s left-hand post virtually straight from kick-off, but a comeback never looked likely to materialise.

Instead Saints chased a fourth, as Azaz’s fizzing volley was cleared off the line, before Welington provided it with a thumping finish fresh off the bench after fellow substitute Divin Mubama had burst clear.

Southampton: Peretz, Bree, Stephens (c), Schlotterbeck, Manning (Welington 90+2), Ward-Prowse (Downes 75), Bragg (Williams 90+2), Matsuki (Edozie 87), Azaz, Scienza, Dobbin (Mubama 87).

Subs not used: Long, Wood, Abbott, Fellows.

Goals: Matsuki (11’), Bragg (55’), Schlotterbeck (66’), Welington (90+5’).

Queens Park Rangers: Charles, Adamson, Dunne (c), Edwards, Kemper (Cirkin 76), Kamara (Chair 87), Varane, Vale (Saito 59), Poku (Dembele 59), Smyth (Lloyd 76), Kone.

Subs not used: Ward, Clarke-Salter, Alemayehu, Kolli.

Goal: Kone (68’).

Booked: Varane, Adamson, Dunne.

Attendance: 30,931 (2,983).

Referee: Tim Robinson.