A superb Southampton under-18 side scored five goals before the break – as they hammered Fulham 5-2 at Motspur Park in a dominant display of delightful football this morning.
Thierry Rohart-Brown bagged a brace and his goals were followed by efforts Tyler Lemon and Korban McMullan before the unfortunate Fulham full back Quinn Schutter put through his own net. You would have been forgiven for wondering whether the famed Saints youth academy might bring up double figures in the second half, but it proved to be much more even contest after the interval – with Markuss Gomins and Brodie Dair restoring some pride for the home side.
The young Whites had actually began brightly with Harvey Platel turning his man well to create the first chance of the match all by himself, but his half-volley flew high over the crossbar. The visitors took the lead an eleven minutes when the impressive Rohart-Brown seized on a loose ball twenty yards from goal and struck a sublime effort past Ollie Mayer in the Fulham goal. The home side squandered an immediate chance to level when Platel rounded Oscar Abbotson but decided to set up Anand Batra rather than go for goal himself and the forward’s eventual effort was well blocked on the goal.
Batra, making his first start of the season after scoring within eight minutes of coming off the bench at West Ham last weekend, looked dangerous up front and sent another shot straight at Abbotson before the Saints ruthlessly took control of the contest. The visitors already looked the more assured of the two sides before Rohart-Brown bundled in his second of the afternoon from close range after McMullan’s determined run from the left flank saw him set up the striker with an incisive low ball across the box.
The magnificent McMullen was instrumental in the third goal as his perfect pass through the centre of a shell-shocked Fulham defence allowed Lemon to race through on Mayer and pick his spot inside the far post with a measured left-footed finish. The cultured midfielder, who had signed his first professional contract with the Saints on Thursday, celebrated with a goal of his own by bending a brilliant finish into the corner of the net with considerable class.
Sessegnon squandered a great chance to open his under-18s account with his pace and power took him clear of two Southampton defenders but a disappointing finish lacked the poise that usually accompanies the England youth international’s considerable physical attributes. Instead, the half finished as it began with the young Whites getting themselves into a horrible mess at the back. Schutter had to try and prevent a dangerous low cross from Hansel Adjei-Afriyie reaching the red-and-white shirts in the area but only succeeded in diverting the ball past a disconsolate Mayer.
Brodie Dair would have got Fulham on the scoreboard before the break but for an athletic save from Abbotson, who tipped the Scot’s superb shot onto the crossbar. Southampton were still on the front foot in the early stages of the second period as Walter Nutter nudged an effort wide and substitute Harry Gathercole intercepted a poor pass in the home penalty area and saw his shot blocked by Alfie White.
But Fulham continued to push forward despite the situation appearing hopeless and Latvian youth international Markuss Gomins headed home his fourth goal of the season from a fine cross by Nazim Benchaita with twenty minutes remaining. Dair then grabbed a deserved goal with three minutes to play after latching onto a good pass from substitute Bashil Lubega and firing into the bottom corner.
The young Whites will look to put this chastening defeat behind them when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to Motspur Park in a Premier League Cup clash next Saturday lunchtime.
FULHAM UNDER 18s: Mayer; Benchaita, Schutter, Kapotwe (Cliff 72), Gomins; Khan (Konadu-Wall 72), K. Sessegnon (De-Gale 55), White, Evans (Dair 38), Platel; Batra (Lubega 55).
GOALS: Gomins (70), Dair (87).
SOUTHAMPTON UNDER 18s: Abbotson, Adjei-Afriyie, Day (Martin 68), Anderson, Goremusandu (Gbajuma 66), Nutter (Rodda 68), Lemon, Rohart-Brown, Newman (Hawe 66), McMullan, Umeh (Gathercole 45).
GOALS: Rohart-Brown (11, 20), Lemon (26), McMullan (33), Schutter (o.g. 38).
