Cameron Bragg scored his first Championship goal for Southampton in a 4-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers that extended the Saints' unbeaten home league run to 17 matches. The win at St Mary's on Saturday saw Kuryu Matsuki, Keven Schlotterbeck and substitute Welington also find the net, moving Russell Martin's side up to fifth in the Championship table with 23 points from 13 games.
Bragg, returning to the starting line-up after being sent off in the first half of the south coast derby earlier this month, converted a low cutback from Ryan Manning in the 55th minute. "It's been a long time coming," said the midfielder. "It's something I've looked at a little bit and I'm definitely looking to do more of."
Clinical Saints punish QPR
Southampton took control early, with Matsuki firing over when unmarked in the fifth minute before opening the scoring six minutes later with a neat spinning finish for his third goal in four matches. QPR's Pierce Charles made a series of saves, acrobatically denying Schlotterbeck's header and later keeping out efforts from Ryan Manning and Leo Scienza, who had provided the assist for Matsuki's opener.
The home side's pressure told after the break. Bragg's strike doubled the lead before Schlotterbeck powered in an unmarked header from a Manning corner in the 67th minute. QPR's Richard Kone, who scored a hat-trick against Swansea the previous week, pulled one back 85 seconds later, sneaking the ball in off the post. Any hope of a comeback was extinguished deep into added time when Welington scored with the last kick of the game, capitalising on a defensive error to slot home.
Unbeaten run continues
The result means Southampton have now taken 13 points from their last five matches, a sequence of four wins and a draw. They remain five points behind leaders Middlesbrough but have scored 28 league goals this season, the third-highest tally in the division. Top scorer Cyle Larin, with seven goals this term, will be looking to add to his tally as Southampton aim to close the gap at the top. Martin's team now turn their attention to their next fixture, a trip to face Stoke City on Tuesday night, where they will seek to maintain their momentum.
This story first appeared at southamptonfc.com
