Southampton5-1Millwall

Southampton 5-1 Millwall

Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat needed an answer. Southampton gave one by beating Championship leaders Millwall 5-1 at St Mary’s. More than 29,000 supporters watched Millwall take the lead after 15 minutes, but Saints had turned the game around by half-time and never looked back.

Ryan Manning was booked after four minutes, and Mark Sykes put Millwall ahead on 15. It could have become another anxious afternoon after the midweek defeat. Instead, Cyle Larin equalised on 25 minutes and Finn Azaz put Southampton in front with a finish after 38 minutes. Saints went into the break ahead, having changed the mood of the game before the visitors could settle.

The second half belonged to Southampton. Léo Scienza converted a 55th-minute penalty after Azaz was tripped, then Larin scored his second on 62. Tom Fellows completed the scoring on 86 minutes with his first Saints goal. He was booked a minute later, but by then the result was secure and the home crowd was enjoying the afternoon.

The statistics support the scoreline. Southampton had 21 shots and seven on target, compared with Millwall’s 14 shots and five on target. Possession was close at 52-48, so this was not a game won by simply keeping the ball. Saints made more of the important moments.

The discipline figures were also in Southampton’s favour, with six fouls to Millwall’s ten. After losing to West Ham in the cup, Saints needed a response against the league leaders. They produced one with five different goals in the match and enough control to prevent Millwall recovering after the interval.

Ward-Prowse and Schlotterbeck have also arrived during a week in which the squad has started to look more settled. A win like this helps, but the next fixtures will show whether Southampton can turn the afternoon into a run of form.

For now, a five-goal win against the leaders is exactly the response Southampton needed.