West Ham overturned an early deficit to beat Southampton 1-4 in the EFL Cup. L. Scienza put the hosts in front, but J. Ajala leveled before half-time and the visitors scored three more after the break. What began as a home lead became a one-sided second half.

Match Summary

Southampton struck first. L. Scienza scored after 10 minutes, and the home side spent much of the opening half with more of the ball. It was still an open cup tie, and the early goal did not settle the pattern of the play. Bookings followed for C. Bragg and then L. Scienza before West Ham answered. J. Ajala equalized four minutes before half-time, L. Orford the provider, and the sides went in level.

The visitors took control after the restart. Ajala scored again eight minutes into the second half to put West Ham ahead for the first time. Southampton could not respond. T. Castellanos added a third with 15 minutes left, J. Veltman the supplier, and J. Bowen applied the finish in the 84th minute with Orford involved once more. The official result was 1-4 to West Ham.

Key Moments

Ajala's two goals either side of half-time were the swing. Southampton had led and had more of the ball, yet they went into the break level and fell behind shortly after it. That sequence turned a home cup lead into a chase, and Southampton never recaptured the initiative. Once the lead changed hands, the rest of the night followed West Ham.

The two later West Ham goals mattered because they closed the contest. With the visitors already in front and creating more shots on target, those finishes removed any late hope. Southampton's two yellow cards, against none for West Ham, were a smaller subplot on a night defined by the visitors' finishing.

Match Statistics

Southampton held 58 percent of possession and recorded 11 shots, four on target, but West Ham were sharper with 17 attempts and seven on target. The shot count, not the share of the ball, told the truer story of why the scoreline opened up. The visitors also led 5-2 on corners. Both of the match's yellow cards went to Southampton, and neither side saw a red. Full details are on the Southampton vs West Ham live score page.

See also

• Southampton vs West Ham live score
• AltBets live scores
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• Match recaps