U21 Report: Saints 5-1 QPR
Southampton Under-21s continued their unbeaten start to their Premier League Cup campaign by hitting five past Queens Park Rangers at the Silverlake Stadium.
Both teams started the game on one win each in Group A going into the fixture, with QPR the first to strike on Friday night.
A quick counter on six minutes, kick-started by Archie O'Brien in the centre of midfield, who fed Rico Kennedy to the right of the penalty area. The Rangers winger was closed down by Saints trialist keeper, causing the ball to spill into the path of Amar Sanghrajka, who finished first time.
Just 8 minutes later, however, the game began to shift in Saints' favour. Charlie Street's heavy touch played in Sufianu Sillah Dibaga one-on-one, and Street's pull of the shirt to hault the attack was punished by his dismissal as the final man.
Saints capitalised with a man advantage soon after. Hansel Adjei-Afriyie's low ball into the penalty area met first time by Princewill Ehibhatiomhan for the equaliser. From then on, Saints took control.
With 20 minutes on the clock Harry Gathercole tested Kasey Taylor in the QPR net, before, 120 seconds later, Sillah Dibaga capitalised on another QPR defensive error to turned the game on its head, with Ehibhatiomhan turning provider.
QPR had a glimpse on 25 minutes, Esquerdinha hitting the crossbar with a speculative cross, and were made to pay three minutes later when Ehibatiomhan added his second of the evening.
Chances from Ehibatiomhan, Harry Gathercole and Joachim Kayi-Sanda followed for the hosts before the break, before a fourth was added soon after the interval. Sillah Dibaga adding his second of the evening on the end of another Adjei-Afriyie cross.
The fifth and final goal of the evening came just shy of the hour mark. Sillah Dibaga turning provider with a low ball into the box, which Aston Daley finished at the near post.
Southampton: Trailist, Kayi Sanda, Gbajumo (Anderson 59'), Day (Boot 45'), Adjei-Afriyie, Charles (Little 59'), McMullan (Williams 58'), Gathercole, Daley, Sillah Dibaga (Whittaker 78'), Ehibhatiomhan.
Unused substitutes: Kakay, Hawe.
Goals: Ehibatiomhan (17', 27'), Silah Dibaga (22', 48'), Daley (56')
Booked: Day, Boot
QPR: Taylor, Esquerdinha (Friel 45'), Putman, Street, Sanghrajka, Akindileni, Neill, Kennedy (Oluwabusola 60'), O'Brien (Ikoroha 76'), Hassan (Chadwick 60'), Wright.
Unused substitutes: Osborne.
Goals: Sanghrajka (6')
Referee: Richie Watkins
