Southampton 4-0 Blackburn: Saints ease to victory over 10-player Rovers

Samuel Edozie netted for the second time in a week as Southampton dispatched Blackburn 4-0 to extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches.

Winger Edozie poked in a corner before Stuart Armstrong's third goal of the season, Sekou Mara's tap-in and Carlos Alcaraz's finish punished Rovers, who had Callum Brittain sent off after two yellow cards.

Alcaraz also missed a penalty for the hosts but they secured a fifth straight home win for the first time since 2014 and continued their best streak for 39 years.

Southampton boasted 73 per cent of possession in a first half in which Blackburn sat back and tried not to concede. But Saints had little to show for their domination until the 44th-minute goal.

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Stuart Armstrong showed nifty footwork before whipping a shot past the post, while Edozie and Will Smallbone caused panic in the box with their quick feet and Sondre Tronstad was forced to head onto the roof of his own goal.

James Bree ran onto a volley, Adam Armstrong charged down goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt and Smallbone's controlled finish from Stuart Armstrong's cross continued the largely one-way traffic.

The only time that flow changed was in the 24th minute when the visitors won a free-kick on the edge of the Saints box.

Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics smashed through the wall before Brittain followed up - with both kept out by Gavin Bazunu's strong wrists.

Edozie had returned to the starting XI for the first time since October after scoring against Coventry in the week.

He rewarded Russell Martin, and capped the authoritative first half, by prodding in a Bree corner on the cusp of half-time.

After Wahlstedt had brilliantly denied Stuart Armstrong, Blackburn showed off their attacking pedigree for the first time as Bazunu had to be cute to save from Andrew Moran and Harry Leonard.

But that momentum was squashed in the 55th minute when Brittain needlessly received his second booking for kicking the ball away, having got his first for a shirt pull on Kyle Walker-Peters.

That only made Southampton's task easier and nine minutes later, Stuart Armstrong stroked in after Flynn Downes had broken through and been chopped down.

Self-preservation was the name of the last half an hour for Rovers but they could not prevent Southampton's fresh legs.

Alcaraz's 'Panenka' penalty went over the bar, after Hayden Carter had downed Mara, and Wahlstedt stunningly denied Ryan Fraser.

Saints added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time as Mara turned in Fraser's cross and Alcaraz thumped in a rebound after Smallbone had been thwarted.

Saints went level on points with third-placed Leeds and closed the gap to the runaway top two to 10 points.

The managers

Southampton's Russell Martin:

"We're not even halfway through the season and there is so much more room to grow.

"Hopefully we can have more days like today but even when we have only been winning by one goal in our eyes it has been convincing.

"You can't always win convincingly, not even the teams at the top are leaving teams in their wake.

"I felt like we needed the second goal in the second half and always looked likely to get it even before the sending-off.

"I don't know how you define a convincing win but we have got the goals we felt have been coming.

"We have been punished a couple of times for not scoring the goals but today we were relentless. The league is so tight and the goals might be really important at the end of the season.

"I'm really pleased we got the third and fourth goals as it is a fair reflection of the players' mentality and creation. I enjoyed watching the team.

"That is five wins at home in a row and that is really amazing for the players. If we keep putting in performances like that we'll see where it takes us."

Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:

"It is a disappointing day. It is always going to be a difficult game against a team that is a Premier League squad.

"We knew that but we came with the intention of winning the game. In the first half we were quite solid and gave one chance away but we weren't quite good enough on the ball today and the first goal's timing hurts our game.

"The game totally changed after the red card and being a player behind against a Premier League side is difficult. We were still in the game after the first goal but after the second booking the game is over.

"Callum apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room immediately. A game where we could have got something out of it at 1-0, then suddenly the game is over."

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