A brace from Brazilian Guly Do Prado helped Southampton despatch Exeter and move into second place in League One.
Do Prado opened the scoring with an emphatic finish and then added a second from close range.
Adam Lallana stretched Southampton's lead when his curling cross caught out Exeter goalkeeper Paul Jones.
Liam Sercombe's shot was the Grecians' best chance before Lee Barnard made it 4-0 from Ryan Dickson's knockdown as Saints' promotion bid gathers pace.
Southampton boss Nigel Adkins told BBC Radio Solent: "It was exciting for the fans, we start the New Year on a positive footing.
"I was delighted with Guly. He kept going, getting himself in goalscoring positions.
"We were a big handful for the opposition today."
Live text and stats
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Npower League One
Home Team
Score
Away Team
Time
Southampton
4-0
Exeter
FT
(HT 1-0)
Guly 19
Guly 51
Lallana 66
Barnard 90+2
Southampton
01 Davis
02 Richardson
03 Harding
06 Fonte
19 Seaborne
04 Schneiderlin
11 Guly (Barnard 69)
20 Lallana
26 Oxlade-Chamberlain (Dickson 67)
30 Chaplow (Gobern 83)
07 Lambert
Substitutes
24 Bialkowski,
05 Dickson,
12 Butterfield,
15 Jaidi,
27 Gobern,
09 Barnard,
22 Connolly
Exeter
27 Jones
02 Tully (Thomson 69)
03 Duffy
06 Taylor
11 Golbourne
18 Jones (Nardiello 55)
07 Harley
08 Noble
22 Sercombe
12 Cureton (O'Flynn 70)
20 Logan
Substitutes
30 Krysiak,
05 Archibald-Henville,
04 Dunne,
14 Cozic,
21 Thomson,
10 Nardiello,
29 O'Flynn
Ref: PhillipsAtt: 22,465
SOUTHAMPTON
EXETER
Possession
Southampton59%
Exeter41%
Attempts on target
Southampton14
Exeter5
Attempts off target
Southampton13
Exeter6
Corners
Southampton7
Exeter6
Fouls
Southampton18
Exeter7
Final Result
Full Time
90:00+3:33 The final whistle is blown by the referee.
90:00+1:57 The assist for the goal came from Ryan Dickson.
90:00+1:57 GOAL - Lee Barnard:Southampton 4 - 0 Exeter A goal is scored by Lee Barnard from close in to the bottom left corner of the goal. Southampton 4-0 Exeter.
89:40 Richard Lambert takes a shot. Blocked by Richard Duffy.
89:24 Short corner taken by Adam Lallana.
88:32 Jake Thomson sends in a cross, Headed effort from inside the area by Richard Logan misses to the left of the target.
87:41 Morgan Schneiderlin gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Matthew Taylor. Matthew Taylor takes the free kick.
86:51 Shot by Oscar Gobern from deep inside the penalty area misses to the right of the goal.
85:58 Foul by Scott Golbourne on Adam Lallana, free kick awarded. Adam Lallana restarts play with the free kick.
85:09 Shot from just outside the box by Daniel Nardiello misses to the right of the target.
83:53 The assistant referee signals for offside against Daniel Nardiello. Kelvin Davis restarts play with the free kick.
82:57 Substitution Oscar Gobern is brought on as a substitute for Richard Chaplow.
82:28 Frazer Richardson produces a cross, Matthew Taylor manages to make a clearance.
81:44 Daniel Nardiello concedes a free kick for a foul on Morgan Schneiderlin. Richard Lambert takes the direct free kick.
81:21 Frazer Richardson crosses the ball, clearance made by Matthew Taylor.
80:24 Lee Barnard produces a right-footed shot from just outside the box that misses to the right of the goal.
79:43 Centre by Lee Barnard.
78:49 Effort from the edge of the box by Richard Chaplow goes wide of the right-hand upright.
78:05 The assistant referee signals for offside against Richard Logan. Kelvin Davis takes the free kick.
75:45 Centre by Dan Harding, Richard Lambert takes a shot. Blocked by Matthew Taylor.
74:37 Corner taken short by Adam Lallana.
74:16 Adam Lallana takes a shot. Save by Paul Jones.
73:22 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Richard Logan by Daniel Seaborne. Free kick taken by Jake Thomson.
72:54 Effort from deep inside the area by Lee Barnard misses to the left of the goal.
71:23 Matthew Taylor fouled by Lee Barnard, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by David Noble.
69:45 Lee Barnard is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Matthew Taylor takes the free kick.
68:44 Substitution John O'Flynn is brought on as a substitute for Jamie Cureton.
68:44 Substitution Jake Thomson joins the action as a substitute, replacing Steve Tully.
68:44 Substitution Guly Do Prado leaves the field to be replaced by Lee Barnard.
68:19 Adam Lallana produces a left-footed shot from just outside the box that misses to the right of the goal.
66:04 Substitution (Southampton) makes a substitution, with Ryan Dickson coming on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
65:20 GOAL - Adam Lallana:Southampton 3 - 0 Exeter Adam Lallana gets on the score sheet with a goal from just outside the area to the bottom right corner of the goal. Southampton 3-0 Exeter.
65:01 Short corner worked by Adam Lallana.
64:37 Guly Do Prado takes a shot. Ryan Harley manages to make a clearance.
64:02 David Noble delivers the ball, Jose Fonte manages to make a clearance.
60:09 Outswinging corner taken by Ryan Harley from the right by-line.
58:39 Steve Tully fouled by Morgan Schneiderlin, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Richard Duffy.
57:21 Unfair challenge on Scott Golbourne by Frazer Richardson results in a free kick. Richard Duffy takes the free kick.
57:05 Ryan Harley takes a shot. Save by Kelvin Davis.
55:42 Unfair challenge on Daniel Nardiello by Daniel Seaborne results in a free kick. Ryan Harley restarts play with the free kick.
55:04 Ryan Harley takes a shot. Frazer Richardson gets a block in.
54:03 Free kick awarded for a foul by Guly Do Prado on Matthew Taylor. Richard Duffy takes the free kick.
54:03 Substitution Daniel Nardiello comes on in place of Billy Jones.
52:49 Ryan Harley has a shot on goal from outside the area which misses right.
52:12 Free kick awarded for a foul by Richard Chaplow on Liam Sercombe. Liam Sercombe restarts play with the free kick.
50:54 Assist by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
50:54 GOAL - Guly Do Prado:Southampton 2 - 0 Exeter A goal is scored by Guly Do Prado from deep inside the penalty area to the bottom left corner of the goal. Southampton 2-0 Exeter.
48:37 Jamie Cureton sends in a cross, Daniel Seaborne makes a clearance.
48:09 Richard Lambert takes a shot. Blocked by Richard Duffy.
47:33 Centre by Frazer Richardson, Daniel Seaborne takes a shot. Save by Paul Jones.
47:24 The ball is delivered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, clearance made by Matthew Taylor.
47:09 Richard Lambert takes a shot. Save by Paul Jones.
45:01 The referee starts the second half.
Half Time
45:00+1:10 The referee blows for half time.
44:16 Foul by Daniel Seaborne on Richard Logan, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Steve Tully.
43:47 Foul by Richard Lambert on Matthew Taylor, free kick awarded. Paul Jones restarts play with the free kick.
42:31 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on David Noble by Morgan Schneiderlin. Direct free kick taken by Billy Jones.
41:39 The ball is sent over by Adam Lallana.
40:40 Guly Do Prado gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on David Noble. Billy Jones takes the free kick.
40:01 The official flags Guly Do Prado offside. Paul Jones takes the free kick.
39:07 Free kick awarded for a foul by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Scott Golbourne. Free kick taken by Billy Jones.
38:33 Ryan Harley takes a outswinging corner.
37:50 Liam Sercombe has an effort at goal from outside the penalty area missing to the wide left of the goal.
37:32 Scott Golbourne takes a shot. Save by Kelvin Davis.
36:12 Richard Duffy gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Frazer Richardson restarts play with the free kick.
35:40 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain concedes a free kick for a foul on Matthew Taylor. David Noble takes the free kick.
35:28 Richard Lambert takes a shot. Save by Paul Jones.
34:43 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Richard Chaplow by David Noble. Dan Harding takes the free kick.
33:23 Free kick awarded for a foul by Jose Fonte on Richard Logan. Ryan Harley restarts play with the free kick.
32:41 Outswinging corner taken by Adam Lallana, save made by Paul Jones.
31:36 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from the right by-line to the near post, Adam Lallana has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the right of the target.
31:21 Richard Chaplow takes a shot. Save by Paul Jones.
30:57 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain produces a right-footed shot from just outside the box that goes wide left of the goal.
30:24 Adam Lallana takes a inswinging corner.
30:17 The ball is sent over by Frazer Richardson, clearance by Richard Duffy.
29:06 Ryan Harley takes the outswinging corner, Jose Fonte manages to make a clearance.
28:54 Liam Sercombe takes a shot. Guly Do Prado gets a block in.
28:28 Corner taken by Ryan Harley from the right by-line played to the near post, clearance by Guly Do Prado.
28:08 Outswinging corner taken by Ryan Harley, clearance by Richard Lambert.
27:48 Liam Sercombe takes a shot. Save made by Kelvin Davis.
26:12 A cross is delivered by Frazer Richardson, Billy Jones gets a block in.
23:39 Guly Do Prado produces a right-footed shot from just outside the box that misses to the right of the net.
22:47 Scott Golbourne challenges Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Adam Lallana.
22:21 Frazer Richardson crosses the ball.
19:57 Richard Chaplow takes a shot. David Noble gets a block in.
18:01 GOAL - Guly Do Prado:Southampton 1 - 0 Exeter Guly Do Prado fires in a goal from inside the penalty box to the top right corner of the goal. Southampton 1-0 Exeter.
17:13 Guly Do Prado has an effort at goal from outside the box which goes wide right of the goal.
16:30 Foul by Richard Chaplow on David Noble, free kick awarded. Billy Jones takes the direct free kick.
15:45 Richard Chaplow fouled by Billy Jones, the ref awards a free kick. Kelvin Davis restarts play with the free kick.
15:21 Richard Chaplow gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Scott Golbourne. Indirect free kick taken by Billy Jones.
12:20 Guly Do Prado has an effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the right of the target.
11:52 The ball is swung over by Frazer Richardson, Scott Golbourne manages to make a clearance.
11:00 Richard Lambert has a headed effort at goal from deep inside the area missing to the left of the target.
10:26 Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Adam Lallana by Richard Duffy. Direct free kick taken by Dan Harding.
9:35 The ball is delivered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, clearance made by Matthew Taylor.
9:00 Shot from outside the box by David Noble goes wide right of the target.
8:25 Foul by Jose Fonte on Richard Logan, free kick awarded. Direct free kick taken by Billy Jones.
6:47 A cross is delivered by Billy Jones, Richard Chaplow makes a clearance.
4:43 The ball is swung over by Ryan Harley, Shot by Jamie Cureton from deep inside the penalty area misses wide to the left of the target.
4:13 Outswinging corner taken right-footed by Ryan Harley played to the near post, Adam Lallana makes a clearance.
3:51 The ball is sent over by Scott Golbourne, Dan Harding makes a clearance.
1:53 Effort from deep inside the area by Adam Lallana misses to the right of the target.
0:28 The ball is sent over by Frazer Richardson, Headed effort from deep inside the area by Morgan Schneiderlin misses to the right of the target.
0:00 The game kicks-off.
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