West Ham United beat Southampton 4-1 in the League Cup round of 64 at St Mary's Stadium on Monday evening. The visitors took control early and never looked back, despite Southampton's 58 per cent possession. Joshua Ajala struck twice for the away side, while Valentín Castellanos and Jarrod Bowen added their names to the scoresheet.
Leo Scienza opened the scoring in the tenth minute for Southampton, but the momentum shifted quickly. Ajala equalised in the 41st minute before doubling his tally in the 53rd. By then the match had turned, and Castellanos restored West Ham's lead in the 75th minute. Bowen closed out the scoring in the 84th.
Five substitutions came in quick succession around the hour mark, with Southampton bringing on Keiber Lamadrid, Mohamadou Kanté and Joël Piroe alongside Ajala himself, who was substituted despite his brace. Cameron Bragg, Scienza and Tom Fellows were among those replaced. Romeo Akachukwu and Lewis Dobbin also saw time on the pitch for their respective sides.
West Ham were far more clinical despite having less of the ball. They registered 8 shots on target compared to Southampton's 5, and their expected goals figure of 2.47 told a different story to the possession numbers. Southampton created no big chances and hit the woodwork just once from outside the penalty area. The visitors made 15 key passes to the hosts' 7.
The result means West Ham advance to the next round, while Southampton's competitive season continues to look patchy. They had won two and lost two in their last five outings, including a 3-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday. West Ham, meanwhile, dropped points against Charlton and drew with Burnli — but this performance suggests they have found their footing.
