Southampton Vs Qpr — Saints thrash QPR 5-0 at St Mary’s
southampton vs qpr ended in a 5-0 victory for Southampton at St Mary’s as Finn Azaz, Kuryu Matsuki, Leo Scienza and James Bree all found the net, a result that moves Tonda Eckert’s side from 11th to seventh in the Championship table and tightens their push for the play-off places.
Southampton Vs Qpr
Saints dominated from the start and scored five times at St Mary’s. Azaz opened the scoring in the ninth minute, curling a low, powerful right-footed shot into the far corner after a Ryan Manning pass found him on the edge of the box. Kuryu Matsuki headed home from a corner just before half-time for his first Championship goal, and then added a second shortly after the break when Joe Walsh palmed a saved Leo Scienza effort into Matsuki’s path and he steered the ball into the far corner.
Goals and key moments
Scienza made it 4-0 in the 59th minute after a run down the left, cutting infield and curling the ball into the far corner for his sixth Championship goal of the season. The fifth came with 20 minutes to go when Scienza won possession down the left and crossed; a poor QPR clearance fell to James Bree, who took a touch before firing in a slight deflection from outside the box.
Referee decisions, injuries and near-penalties
Referee Oliver Langford waved away early penalty appeals for both sides. QPR’s Amadou Mbengue went down after getting past Ryan Manning, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis appeared to be pulled back in the box by former Saint Ronnie Edwards, but nothing was given. Just over five minutes before the break Manning’s free-kick found Harwood-Bellis whose header bounced once before striking the post and rolling away. Nicolas Madsen sprinted after a cleared corner and then pulled up holding the back of his right leg; the Danish midfielder was substituted before heading down the St Mary's tunnel.
Context: form, staff and matchday details
Saints have won four of their last five Championship games and are unbeaten in their last six league matches, winning four of those; that run sits alongside a Saturday draw with Charlton and a thrilling 4-3 comeback win at Leicester 11 days earlier. QPR arrived at St Mary’s level on points with Southampton after an impressive 3-1 win at Hull on Saturday — that was only the Londoners’ third victory in their last 11 league matches, although they have lost only four of those.
Officials, kit, broadcast and matchday notes
The fixture at St Mary’s was listed for Tuesday 24th February, 8pm GMT with Oliver Langford as referee, assistants Mark Stevens and Robert Hyde and fourth official Tom Nield. Saints wore their red-and-white-striped shirts with black shorts and white socks; QPR were in their pink-and-black-halved shirts with black shorts and black socks. The Category C fixture had tickets on general sale with prices starting from £20 for adults and £10 for juniors. The game was screened live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football with coverage beginning at 7. 30pm GMT, and Saints Play match passes were available in certain overseas territories. The matchday programme was a double edition (also sold at Saturday’s home game with Charlton) priced at £4, featuring cover art by 10-year-old Emma from Fairisle Junior School, an interview with Shea Charles, Tonda Eckert’s notes, the latest from the Women’s team and coverage of both visiting sides.
Team news and absences
Tonda Eckert said he did not foresee "a big turnover" in his starting line-up following Saturday’s draw, and noted the match represented the reverse fixture of his first game in charge, a 2-1 win at Loftus Road in November. Full-backs Welington and Mads Roerslev remained sidelined and Jay Robinson missed the Charlton game with a quad problem. For QPR, new striker Justin Obikwu had still not recovered from an injury picked up soon after joining the club, top scorer Rumarn Burrell remained out with a hamstring problem, Nicolas Madsen and Jonathan Varane had returned to the squad at Hull, and Ilias Chair suffered a new setback after returning to training and would miss the trip to St Mary’s.
Tonda Eckert praised the performance, speaking to Radio Solent: "I loved that we were sharp from the off. "
The next confirmed fixture or scheduled event for either side is unclear in the provided context.
