Southampton vs 25.08.26 18:451 – 4Full Time
West Ham — League Cup: stats, lineups & analysis
Match report
Ajala double sends West Ham past Southampton and into next round
Southampton's early promise unravelled as West Ham fought back from behind to win 4-1 in the League Cup round of 64. Léo Scienza had put the hosts ahead inside ten minutes, but Nuno Espirito Santo's side responded before the interval and pulled clear after the break to book their passage through.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Scienza's goal gave Southampton a deserved lead, but Joshua Ajala levelled matters in the 41st minute with an assist from Lewis Orford, sending the sides in level at half-time. Ajala struck again eight minutes into the second half to put West Ham 2-1 up, and the visitors never looked back from there.
Valentín Castellanos added a third in the 75th minute, converting a chance created by Joël Veltman, before Jarrod Bowen completed the rout in the 84th minute, latching onto another Orford assist. West Ham held 42 per cent of possession yet were far more incisive, registering 17 shots to Southampton's 12 and finishing with seven on target against the hosts' four.
Ajala's two goals proved decisive in turning the contest West Ham's way, and his 8.5 rating made him the outstanding figure on the pitch. Orford also caught the eye, setting up both of the second-half goals that sealed the win.
Despite having less of the ball, West Ham were far more clinical in front of goal, out-shooting Southampton 17 to 12 and doubling their tally of shots on target.
West Ham won 4–1 away against Southampton (half-time 1–1).
Southampton met West Ham in the League Cup (Round of 64). Kick-off was Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 18:45 UTC at St. Mary's Stadium. Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo.
Team pages: Southampton · West Ham · League Cup
Key moments
- 10' Goal: Léo Scienza — 1–0 · Watch Léo Scienza's goal video (10')
- 41' Goal: Joshua Ajala (assist: Lewis Orford) — 1–1 · Watch Joshua Ajala's goal video (41')
- 53' Goal: Joshua Ajala — 1–2 · Watch Joshua Ajala's goal video (53')
- 75' Goal: Valentín Castellanos (assist: Joël Veltman) — 1–3 · Watch Valentín Castellanos's goal video (75')
- 84' Goal: Jarrod Bowen (assist: Lewis Orford) — 1–4 · Watch Jarrod Bowen's goal video (84')
Starting line-ups
Southampton (4-3-3)
West Ham (4-4-1-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Southampton 40%, the draw 29%, West Ham 31%. It finished Southampton 1–4 West Ham.
Home ground outweighs West Ham's rating edge — West Ham are the stronger side on our strength rating, but home ground plus Southampton's control of the ball give Southampton the lean. The draw at 29% is about what a gap this size usually leaves.
Why Southampton at 40%?
Home ground, against the rating. West Ham sit 89 points higher on our strength rating — 1685 to 1774. Sides with a 50–100-point rating edge on the road won 32.9% of 10,538 such games. Southampton hold 6 more possession points (54 to 48 in recent games) across a 89-point rating gap. Control now carries a receipt beyond near-equals too: sides with this control edge at a 75–150-point rating gap won 42.6% of 8,622 such games where the class table expected 41.3%.
Why only 40%?
Because West Ham are the stronger side on our strength rating. The rest is the draw at 29% and West Ham at 31%.
Why the draw at 29%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 28.3%. These teams' recent games average 2.9 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 24.6% of 24,869. The control factor adds 1.2 points to the draw.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Southampton vs West Ham final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this League Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Léo Scienza's goal against West Ham (10').
- Watch Joshua Ajala's goal against Southampton (41').
- Watch Joshua Ajala's goal against Southampton (53').
- Watch Valentín Castellanos's goal against Southampton (75').
- Watch Jarrod Bowen's goal against Southampton (84').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Southampton 1–4 West Ham. Explore more on the Southampton and West Ham team pages or the League Cup page.