Kuryu Matsuki scored twice as Southampton delivered a dominant 4-1 home victory over Queens Park Rangers in the Championship on Saturday. The win at St Mary's Stadium extends the Saints' unbeaten league run to five matches and pushes them up the table, solidifying their sixth-place position with 20 points from a record of seven wins, three draws and two losses.
Goals from Cam Bragg, Keven Schlotterbeck and Welington completed the scoring, with Richard Kone netting a late consolation for the visitors. Southampton took control early and led 1-0 at the interval before pulling away in the second half.
Matsuki makes his mark
Matsuki opened the scoring and later added his second, continuing a strong run of form. The midfielder had also found the net in the previous match against West Ham, a 3-2 victory on 24 October where he was joined on the scoresheet by James Bree and Lewis Dobbin. His double against QPR was the foundation for a comfortable evening.
Ryan Manning provided the assist for Cam Bragg's goal, which doubled the advantage. Keven Schlotterbeck then headed in a third before Welington rounded off the scoring. Manager Russell Martin made ten substitutions across the match, utilising his squad depth.
The result lifts Southampton to sixth in the Championship, now on 20 points from 12 games. Their recent form reads four wins and a draw from the last five, a sequence that includes victories over Portsmouth and Norwich as well as the 4-1 win over QPR on 31 October and the 3-2 triumph at West Ham. The team has scored 24 goals this season while conceding only 12, claiming a positive goal difference of 12.
Attention now turns to a key fixture away at fifth-placed West Brom on Tuesday 3 November. Cyle Larin remains the club's top scorer this campaign with seven goals in 11 appearances.
Southampton's last five results have solidified their play-off push, and they now sit just five points behind the automatic promotion places. The team will travel to The Hawthorns looking to extend their winning run to three games, a streak that began with a 1-0 win at Norwich on 14 October.
This story first appeared at southamptonfc.com
