West Ham United U21s delivered an emphatic performance in their first home game of the season, overpowering Southampton U21s 5-1, surging to the top of the Premier League 2 table.

The Hammers were clinical in their finishing and put in a solid defensive play, securing their second consecutive win in style. West Ham who seized the initiative in the eighth minute when Ollie Scarles opened the scoring. A pinpoint long ball from Lewis Orford found Kamarai Swyer on the wing, who worked the ball inside to Scarles, who made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner to put his side ahead.

Southampton thought they had equalised ten minutes later, only to be denied by the linesman’s offside flag. This proved to be a turning point, as West Ham began to assert more control over the game. Five minutes from half-time, Moore found the back of the net. Winning possession in midfield, West Ham broke quickly, with Swyer threading a pass to Orford, who navigated his way through the Southampton defence before laying it off to Moore. The forward finished with authority, scoring his second goal in as many games to give West Ham a comfortable 2-0 lead going into the interval.

The young Hammers came out strong in the second half, quickly adding a third goal in the 52nd minute. Scarles, involved once again, played a brilliant pass that split the Southampton defense, allowing Josh Ajala to race through on goal. Ajala kept his composure and slotted home to put the Hammers firmly in control. Just two minutes later, Ajala was at the double, embarking on a dazzling solo run past three defenders before finishing coolly to make it 4-0.

Although Southampton captain Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh pulled one back in the 69th minute, West Ham remained untroubled. They sealed victory five minutes from time when Scarles netted his second of the game, following a well-executed counter-attack initiated by substitute Tyron Akpata.