Southampton produced a scintillating performance to beat Wrexham 5-1 and move into sixth place in the Championship.
Any concerns about a hangover from Saturday’s FA Cup win over Arsenal were short-lived as Saints moved within two points with early goals from Matsuki Kuryu and Flynn Downes.
Josh Windass then pulled one back for Wrexham before the break at the Racecourse Grounds, but any hopes of a comeback were dashed as Cyle Larin added a third and Saints’ fourth goal was headed in by substitute Ross Stewart. Finn Azaz scored his fifth goal late on.
With this win, Southampton moved into the play-off places, two points behind seventh-placed Wrexham with a game in hand. They are just six points behind second-placed Ipswich.
Southampton make great strides in North Wales
Cyle Larin celebrates
The victory was Southampton’s 10th in a 13-game unbeaten run in the league, and Eckert’s side, who currently sit sixth in the table, appear to have timed it well.
Their intentions were clear from early on, with Larin and Azaz both hitting the bar in the 8th minute.
Larin was unlucky as he connected Ryan Manning’s cross with a deft header, but Azaz should have done better than hit the rebound against a tree.
Azaz took the lead in the 12th minute and quickly made up for his mistake, playing a great ball through Matsuki, who took a touch and fired a shot past the wrong-footed Arthur Okonkwo.
Saints continued to control the game and after 10 minutes Wrexham doubled their lead when James Bree’s free-kick failed to clear. The ball rolled and Downs slammed it home.
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Cyle Larin’s calm second-half finish restores Southampton to a two-goal lead over Wrexham
Wrexham then pulled one back when Kieffer Moore parried a long ball from Okonkwo, and Windass produced a great moment when he controlled and fired a shot past Jack Stevens and into the bottom corner.
In the 61st minute, Larin came out of the halfway line and calmly got past Okonkwo to finally score a well-deserved goal.
Wrexham were not completely out as Moore headed against the post from close range, but shortly afterwards Azaz hit an upright shot to the opposite flank.
Saints underlined their dominance nine minutes into the game with Stewart’s header from a Wellington free-kick, and Azaz sealed the win two minutes later.
managers
Phil Parkinson of Wrexham:
“Even at the end of the season, we have to use this as a lesson. We knew going into this game how important it was, but it hurts that we weren’t able to put in a competitive performance.”
“This shows that when the level drops, you can be punished. We were brutally punished in the first 20 minutes. In many aspects of the game we were far from it.”
“But there’s still a lot to play for. I’m going to watch it carefully and see if I’m ready for the weekend.”
Tonda Eckert of Southampton:
“I don’t think there’s much I need to say because I think the team is very focused at the moment. My job is just to prepare the team in the best way for the upcoming games.”
“It’s been a while since our last game to kick off Championship football again. It felt like an eternity. We needed to make sure we got a kick start again and I think the players did that extremely well.”
“Right now I’m playing from Saturday to Tuesday until the end of the season, and I think I have a good rhythm. Now I just need to finish the games quickly, stay humble and keep working.”
