Southampton finish fourth after late show at Preston | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Southampton beat Preston North End 3-1 at Deepdale to close the Championship season. Taylor Harwood-Bellis opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a glancing header from Welington's set-piece cross. After the restart, Ross Stewart doubled the lead (47.) from Cameron Archer's pass. Preston hit back through Lewis Norman Dobbin (60.), yet they won only 39.6% of the duels which told. Cyle Larin settled it in the first minute of second half stoppage time from Samuel Edozie's cross, and The Saints finish fourth on 80 points.

Player of the Match: Taylor Harwood-Bellis marshalled the back line, heading the opener and making nine clearances as Saints kept control.

Stat of the Match: David Cornell registered one assist off the bench, sparking Preston's fightback.

Three Things We Learned: Set pieces remain a route for The Saints, with Harwood-Bellis's header arriving from Welington's cross. Substitutions mattered, with Cyle Larin scoring and Samuel Edozie assisting in second half stoppage time. Preston delivered 28 crosses and 10 corners but converted only once, underscoring mixed end-product.