Southampton Vs Qpr: Saints Run Riot with 5-0 Win at St Mary's to Boost Play-off Bid

Southampton Vs Qpr ended in a dominant 5-0 victory for Southampton at St Mary’s, a result that underlines Saints’ push toward the Championship play-off places and lifts them up the table. The win, built on an early Finn Azaz strike and a productive second half, moves Southampton into seventh and sees QPR slip to 13th.

Southampton Vs Qpr — Match Report

Saints opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Finn Azaz curled a low, powerful right-footed shot into the far corner after being found on the edge of the box by Ryan Manning. Both sides had early penalty appeals waved away by referee Oliver Langford: QPR’s Amadou Mbengue went down after getting past Manning, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis appeared to be pulled back by former Saint Ronnie Edwards, but neither incident resulted in a penalty.

Just over five minutes before half-time Kuryu Matsuki rose highest to head a Taylor Harwood-Bellis-connected delivery into the net, registering his first Championship goal and doubling Southampton’s lead. QPR then suffered a fitness blow shortly before the half-hour mark when Nicolas Madsen sprinted after a cleared corner, pulled up holding the back of his right leg, and was substituted before heading down the St Mary’s tunnel.

Early in the second half Matsuki added his second after a saved Leo Scienza effort was palmed into his path by QPR keeper Joe Walsh; Matsuki steered the rebound into the far corner. Five minutes after the restart Scienza then made it 3-0, slotting a rebound home. Scienza added a fourth in the 59th minute, played through by Azaz before cutting in from the left and curling a shot that Walsh could only glove.

The fifth came with roughly 20 minutes to go after Scienza won possession on the left and crossed; a poor QPR clearance fell to James Bree, who took a touch and fired the ball into the left-hand side of the net a slight deflection.

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Scoring Breakdown and Key Moments

• 9' — Finn Azaz: curled low shot into far corner after Ryan Manning assist.
• Just before half-time — Kuryu Matsuki: first Championship goal, header from Scienza delivery.
• Shortly after half-time — Kuryu Matsuki: rebound finish after Walsh saved Scienza's shot.
• 59' — Leo Scienza: cut in from left and curled into far corner for his sixth Championship goal.
• ~69' (ten minutes after 59') — James Bree: outside-the-box strike into left-hand side slight deflection.

Team News, Injuries and Expected Line-up Notes

Saints head coach Tonda Eckert does not foresee a big turnover in his starting line-up following a recent draw, after many players returned to action having played their first minutes since the 4-3 comeback win at Leicester 11 days earlier. Full-backs Welington and Mads Roerslev remain sidelined, while Jay Robinson has been struggling with a quad injury that forced him to miss the Charlton game.

QPR arrived at St Mary’s level on points with Southampton after an impressive 3-1 win at Hull on Saturday. That victory was only the Londoners’ third in their last 11 league matches, though they have lost just four of those 11, illustrating an inconsistent run. New striker Justin Obikwu has still not recovered from an injury picked up soon after joining the club, and top scorer Rumarn Burrell remains out with a hamstring problem. Nicolas Madsen and Jonathan Varane had returned to the squad at Hull, but Ilias Chair has suffered a new setback after returning to training and will miss the trip to St Mary’s.

Implications for the Table and Form

Southampton have now won four of their last five Championship games and move up from 11th to seventh in the table, four points behind Wrexham. QPR sit 13th. Saints’ unbeaten run in the league stretches to six matches, with four wins in that sequence; the team will be looking to build on this emphatic victory after a frustrating home draw with Charlton.

Match Logistics, Officials and Match Pack

The fixture was listed as a Sky Bet Championship match at St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday 24th February with an 8pm GMT kick-off. Referee Oliver Langford was supported by assistants Mark Stevens and Robert Hyde, with Tom Nield as fourth official. The fixture was a Category C match on general sale with prices starting from £20 for adults and £10 for juniors. Live coverage began at 7. 30pm GMT on designated sports channels, and match passes were available to supporters in certain overseas territories.

The matchday programme was available to order online and from sellers around St Mary’s. A double edition — the same publication sold at Saturday’s home game with Charlton — was offered at the usual price of £4. Cover art was provided by 10-year-old Emma from Fairisle Junior School to celebrate the Saints Foundation Charity Matchday against Charlton. Inside featured an interview with Shea Charles recalling the comeback at Leicester, notes from Tonda Eckert, coverage of the Women’s team, and features on both visiting sides.

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