Southampton 2-0 Oxford United

Well, that’s how you head into an international break with a spring in your step and a smile on your face. Two-nil against an in-form Oxford United, job done inside thirteen minutes, and the rest of the afternoon spent basking in the kind of comfortable, dominant performance that makes you wonder why we can’t just do this every week.

Cyle Larin set the tone almost immediately. Six minutes on the clock, the net bulging, and St. Mary’s erupting like it was a Tuesday night in the Premier League rather than a Saturday afternoon slog against a relegation-threatened side. Whatever Tonda Eckert said in the dressing room beforehand, it clearly hit different, because the lads came out like they’d been personally offended by Oxford’s recent good form. Seven minutes later, Shea Charles — our beautiful, magnificent midfield terrier — doubled the lead, and you could have been forgiven for pulling up the deckchair and cracking open a beverage right there and then. Presumably sealing Goal of the Month in the process, it was a Roberto Carlos-esque thunderbolt from 35 yards with more bend on it than a gravity-defying banana.

“Hey mate, I’m not sure it was better than his Leicester goal.” “Right, Monday morning — get yourself down to Specsavers!”

The stats tell the story of a side that absolutely suffocated their opponents. Sixty-nine percent possession. Twenty shots to Oxford’s nine. Seven on target to their solitary effort. Their keeper made five saves, which frankly tells you he was the busiest man on their payroll by some distance. We were probing, patient, and relentless — the kind of performance where the ball zips around with purpose and the opposition spend most of the afternoon chasing shadows. Oxford, to their credit, didn’t completely roll over, but they spent so much energy trying to stay in the fight that the yellow cards started piling up. Mills, Spencer, Helik — all into the book, a trilogy of frustration that told you everything about how the afternoon felt from their end.

If there’s a minor grumble — and I’m really fishing here — it’s that we probably should have put the game further beyond doubt given the sheer volume of chances created. Twenty shots and only two goals means we left a few out there. On another day against a side with more about them, that wastefulness could sting. But today? Today it didn’t matter one bit.

The broader picture looks gorgeous. Unbeaten run intact, sitting pretty inside the top six, and heading into the break with momentum and confidence coursing through the squad. Middlesbrough dropped points at Blackburn, Derby edged Birmingham — the playoff race is tighter than a drum, and we’re right in the thick of it. Over 30,000 packed into St. Mary’s to watch it happen, and every single one of them went home happy. That’s all you can ask for.

Now we wait. The international break beckons, and by the sounds of it, Shea Charles heads off to represent his country buzzing about a “career highlight” — and rightly so. Come back fit, come back hungry, and let’s keep this beautiful thing rolling. The promised land is calling, and right now, Saints are picking up the phone.