Southampton 2-0 Shrewsbury Town: Saints see off plucky League One opponents

Southampton earned a straightforward win over Shrewsbury in their rearranged FA Cup third-round tie at St Mary's.

Daniel N'Lundulu opened the scoring for a much-changed Saints side with a low effort into the bottom left corner.

The hosts dominated possession and while they were relatively comfortable it took James Ward-Prowse's late free-kick to seal their win.

Southampton will now host Arsenal in the fourth round of the competition on Saturday (12:15 GMT).

• Watch all the goals and highlights from the FA Cup third round

Ralph Hasenhuttl had promised to field a side that blended youth and experience for this cup tie.

And he did not disappoint for a fixture that was originally scheduled for 9 January but was moved after a coronavirus outbreak at the League One club.

While captain Ward-Prowse provided the know-how and Fraser Forster and Shane Long were also brought in for run-outs, there was a very youthful feel to Southampton, particularly down the flanks.

Caleb Watts, 19, and Kegs Chauke, 18, were both handed debuts and delivered promising performances in front of French right-back Yan Valery, 21, and England youth international, Jake Vokins, 20.

But while Saints are noted for their intricate football, it took a scruffy N'Lundulu strike from a long ball forward and the expertise of Ward-Prowse to see off a Shrewsbury side that had not played since 29 December.

Manager Steve Cotterill, who was missing as he recovers from coronavirus, would have been proud of way his side went about their business with Shaun Whalley, Harry Chapman and Matthew Pennington all having chances to score.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: "Every young lad did a good job. You could see in the dressing room they were a little bit nervous. They have to be brave, they know what they have to do and it was a good first game for them.

"We tried [to score a second earlier]. It is not important to score three or four goals - it is important to go to the next round.

"It will be a little bit tougher [against Arsenal]. For us it is a chance to step into the next round."

Shrewsbury assistant coach Aaron Wilbraham said: "I am really proud of the boys. To be off for 14 days and come back and have three days' training for a game against Premier League opposition - I thought they were unbelievable.

"If you give [James] Ward-Prowse a free-kick there, you know what he can do. We were always in the game and put them under pressure."

• Excelling at esports: Can this British team make an impact on the global scene?

• The show must go on in lockdown: David Tennant and Michael Sheen star in Staged