Leeds 3 Southampton 0: Varney's virtuoso show puts poor Saints to the sword
By John Edwards
Nigel Adkins changed Southampton’s entire starting line-up but not their fortunes as former Portsmouth winger Luke Varney ran them ragged in a Capital One Cup rout at Elland Road.
The under-pressure Southampton manager provided an insight into the competition’s importance alongside Barclays Premier League survival by making 11 changes and naming six teenagers on the bench.
He readily accepted the blame for the resulting shambles as he explained his selection by saying: ‘Forty-eight hours ago, we had a high-intensity game, and I made the relevant changes as a consequence.
'I wanted to play the game tomorrow night but the powers-that-be said no because Leeds have another game on Friday. It was my decision and I take full responsibility, even though I’d expect more from anyone who pulls on the Southampton shirt and represents the club.
‘That was nowhere near what you would expect from any Southampton FC team. The players who have not been in the side had a chance to do something about it but it was a very poor performance.’
It may have taken two goals in the last three minutes for Leeds’ dominance to be reflected in the scoreline but Southampton headed back to the south coast thankful they were not on the end of a bigger drubbing.
Varney, snapped up from Portsmouth in the summer, put his one-time derby rivals to the sword after being guilty of one of the misses of the season in the 14th minute.
The game was played in a keen, competitive but always fair spirit. And when Leeds’ Rodolph Austin accidentally hit the back of Chris Foy’s head as he threw the ball to a team-mate, the referee spun round and was greeted by an apologetic, raised hand. He responded with a smile and thumbs-up.
A goal looked a formality after El Hadji Diouf expertly hooked an Aidan White chip across the six-yard area, only for Varney to miscue from two yards and see the ball bobble agonisingly wide.
A full-length save by Kelvin Davis denied Varney in the 28th minute and, two minutes later, after pouncing on hesitancy in the Southampton defence, the midfielder saw his volley cannon back off the bar.
Southampton’s luck ran out, though, and the inevitable breakthrough came in the 35th minute after another darting Varney run.
Weaving his way down the left, he cut the ball back towards Diouf and, though a defender’s outstretched leg prevented the cross reaching its target, Michael Tonge was on hand to drill the loose ball beyond Davis.
If only Varney’s finishing had matched his approach work, Southampton would have been swamped. Expertly played through by Tonge in the 64th minute, he drew Davis, only to drive his shot against the advancing goalkeeper’s chest.
Leeds’ wastefulness might have proved costly when the outplayed Premier League side fashioned their first chance, a 70th-minute volley from Emmanuel Mayuka that flew wide.
But Adkins’ makeshift side were promptly put in their place by two late goals from Diouf and substitute Luciano Becchio.
If Diouf’s finish was simplicity itself, the run that preceded it was a virtuoso effort from Rodolph Austin, who set off from near the halfway line and breezed past two challenges before rifling a shot towards the far corner.
A sprawling save by Davis denied him one of the goals of the season but Diouf was on hand to force the rebound over the line and settle any doubts about Leeds’ passage into the next round.
Becchio added a deserved third after Tonge was deemed to have been fouled by a combination of Daniel Seaborne and Luke Shaw.
Leeds manager Neil Warnock said: ‘I thought Luke Varney epitomised our performance. He came up with the miss of the century yet was still man of the match for me.
‘He wasn’t feeling well and was sick at half-time. I asked him for another 15 minutes and he gave me 40. That’s his attitude through and through.
‘He is an easy target for fans and gets booed sometimes but I was delighted for him. He deserved the ovation he was given when he came off.’