Teenager Josh Ayala made headlines by scoring twice on his full professional debut, leading West Ham to a convincing 4-1 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

The match started with Southampton taking the lead just 10 minutes in. Tom Fellows delivered a looping right-wing cross that was cleared, allowing Leo Scienza to calmly slot the ball into the far bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

West Ham equalized just before half-time, against the run of play. In the 41st minute, Daniel Peretz, the Saints goalkeeper, failed to handle a corner from Lewis Orford, allowing the 19-year-old Ayala to head home.

The second half saw West Ham take control, with Ayala scoring again in the 53rd minute after capitalizing on a defensive error by Jack Stephens. Taty Castellanos added a third goal in the 75th minute, finishing a low cross from Joel Veltman. Jarrod Bowen sealed the win with an 84th-minute strike, marking Southampton's first home defeat since January 17.

Southampton manager Tonda Eckert reflected on the match, stating, "It was a very good first half and a very poor second from us. We had chances to go 2-0 up, conceded from a corner, and from there we never found a way back into the game."

On the other hand, West Ham's Nuno Espirito Santo expressed pride in his young squad, emphasizing the importance of building confidence and momentum following the match. "Winning breeds confidence, and it is important now we build momentum from this and keep going," he stated.