TONDA ECKERT made it four wins out of four as Southampton’s caretaker by masterminding a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Championship.
Ireland international Finn Azaz scored for the third match in a row, and Olabade Aluko was sent off on his first professional start, either side of Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ brace of headers in a horror first half for the Foxes.
Gavin Bazunu, who was recently restored to the starting XI after a spell out of favour, completed 90 minutes, while Ryan Manning registered two assists.
The four wins under Eckert match the number they had managed from the start of last season until Will Still’s sacking.
Saints had been three points off the relegation zone when Eckert took charge, and they are now two points shy of the promotion places, with the German the favourite to take the job permanently.
Eckert, appointed as U21s boss in the summer, had already beaten QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton since being given temporary charge at the start of November.
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But Leicester looked like a tougher challenge on paper – with the Foxes winning the last four meetings between the clubs, along with victories over Norwich and Stoke in their previous two fixtures to put their season back on track.
Saints took the lead in the 18th minute, albeit fortunately, as replays suggested Harwood-Bellis was offside before he met Ryan Manning’s pinpoint free-kick.
Jordan James almost hit back immediately, but Bazunu pulled off a stunning save to push away the header before Saints doubled their lead.
Swift counters have become a trademark of Eckert’s reign, and they scored from another when the ball moved from Manning to Adam Armstrong to Leo Scienza to Azaz in the blink of an eye.
The Irishman settled and beat Asmir Begovic at his near post to score for the fourth time in three club games.
Aluko had been living on a disciplinary tightrope after he was booked for dragging down a countering Scienza in the sixth minute.
And the 19-year-old full-back, who had only one first-team minute on his CV, hacked down Tom Fellows to receive a second booking and completed a nightmare 33 minutes for the visitors.
From there Saints were relentless. Fellows blazed over from the angle, and Begovic remarkably saved from Scienza before Harwood-Bellis celebrated his brace.
This time, there was no controversy as another perfect set-piece delivery found the once-capped England defender to nod in.
A second for Taylor Harwood-Bellis! 🚨
Southampton are closing in on a fourth straight win under Tonda Eckert as they take a 3-0 lead against 10-man Leicester. pic.twitter.com/ONSvPxKuap
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Irish internationals star as Southampton boost Premier League promotion hopes
Championship results on Tuesday:
TONDA ECKERT made it four wins out of four as Southampton’s caretaker by masterminding a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Championship.
Ireland international Finn Azaz scored for the third match in a row, and Olabade Aluko was sent off on his first professional start, either side of Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ brace of headers in a horror first half for the Foxes.
Gavin Bazunu, who was recently restored to the starting XI after a spell out of favour, completed 90 minutes, while Ryan Manning registered two assists.
The four wins under Eckert match the number they had managed from the start of last season until Will Still’s sacking.
Saints had been three points off the relegation zone when Eckert took charge, and they are now two points shy of the promotion places, with the German the favourite to take the job permanently.
Eckert, appointed as U21s boss in the summer, had already beaten QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton since being given temporary charge at the start of November.
But Leicester looked like a tougher challenge on paper – with the Foxes winning the last four meetings between the clubs, along with victories over Norwich and Stoke in their previous two fixtures to put their season back on track.
Saints took the lead in the 18th minute, albeit fortunately, as replays suggested Harwood-Bellis was offside before he met Ryan Manning’s pinpoint free-kick.
Jordan James almost hit back immediately, but Bazunu pulled off a stunning save to push away the header before Saints doubled their lead.
Swift counters have become a trademark of Eckert’s reign, and they scored from another when the ball moved from Manning to Adam Armstrong to Leo Scienza to Azaz in the blink of an eye.
The Irishman settled and beat Asmir Begovic at his near post to score for the fourth time in three club games.
Aluko had been living on a disciplinary tightrope after he was booked for dragging down a countering Scienza in the sixth minute.
And the 19-year-old full-back, who had only one first-team minute on his CV, hacked down Tom Fellows to receive a second booking and completed a nightmare 33 minutes for the visitors.
From there Saints were relentless. Fellows blazed over from the angle, and Begovic remarkably saved from Scienza before Harwood-Bellis celebrated his brace.
This time, there was no controversy as another perfect set-piece delivery found the once-capped England defender to nod in.
Having scored five in the first half at the Valley, they had followed it up with a three-goal 45 minutes.
Armstrong went close on either side of the interval, and Scienza forced Begovic into another smart save to continue the one-way traffic.
The hosts eased off in the latter stages as they settled for three goals, three points and a clean sheet.
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COYBIG finn azaz Gavin Bazunu Ryan Manning Soccer Ireland Republic Leicester City Southampton