West Ham United2-3Southampton

West Ham United 2-3 Southampton

Southampton scored three times before halftime, then relied on Daniel Peretz to protect a 3-2 win at West Ham. Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin supplied the goals. Peretz made the late save that kept all three points with Saints. The win ended West Ham’s nine-match unbeaten league run and moved Southampton into sixth place.

Saints needed only two minutes to score. Léo Scienza drove into the penalty area, Mads Hermansen saved his shot, and Matsuki put the rebound into the bottom corner. Bree doubled the lead in the 11th minute after Hermansen pushed away Caspar Jander’s cross. The right-back met the loose ball with a fierce shot into the top corner. Two loose balls, two goals. A useful way to introduce yourself.

West Ham recovered, and former Saint Kyle Walker-Peters reduced the lead after 24 minutes with a powerful finish into the top corner. Southampton answered ten minutes later. A blocked James Ward-Prowse shot and another save from Scienza left Dobbin with the ball near the goal line. He scored his first competitive Southampton goal and restored the two-goal lead before halftime.

The second half gave Peretz much more work. He saved from Konstantinos Mavropanos, Divine Mukasa and Valentín Castellanos as West Ham pressed for a route back. Saints still threatened at the other end. Finn Azaz found Dobbin, whose low shot hit the post. Max Kilman then struck the crossbar for West Ham, with the ball rebounding off Peretz and away from goal.

Jack Stephens blocked another Castellanos shot, and Peretz used his feet to stop a low Arne Engels effort. Tomás Soucek finally reduced the lead in the third minute of stoppage time with a shot from outside the area. West Ham then created one last chance. Jarrod Bowen crossed, Castellanos headed toward goal, and Peretz pushed the ball away. The goalkeeper’s final intervention mattered as much as the three first-half goals.

The win leaves Saints on 20 points from 12 league games, two points behind West Ham. Their 24 earned points put the four-point deduction in perspective. QPR visit St Mary’s next Saturday, with Southampton back in the play-off places.