Nightmare WARD-PROWSE HAS LAST LAUGH A
JAMES WARD-PROWSE scored a nerveless late penalty past his old neighbour to salvage a sensational draw for Southampton – and send frustrated Tottenham home with only a point.
Antonio Conte’s side led 3-1 with only 16 minutes to go after Harry Kane had equalled the Premier League record with his ninth headed goal of the season.
But in a crazy finish, the Champions League chasers allowed ex-arsenal star Theo Walcott to score – and then conceded a 90th-minute penalty which Ward-prowse smashed past former Saints keeper Fraser Forster.
“Yes there was quite a lot of pressure,” said the Saints skipper. “I know Fraser very well, he used to be my next-door neighbour.
“I’ve taken a few penalties against him in my garden with my little boy, so we have a little thing going on but luckily I managed to put it away and thankfully it contributed to a good point.”
Spurs remain in fourth place but Newcastle are now two points behind with two games in hand.
It is the second time this year they have let slip a two-goal lead after losing 4-2 at Manchester City in January.
Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic both netted their first goals for the club, while Kane drew level with Duncan Ferguson’s tally of headers from the 1997-98 season with his 12th goal against Southampton.
But from being in total control, it all went wrong.
Centre-back Eric Dier said: “Sloppy mistakes. We lost possession easily, we didn’t have control of the game at 3-1 when we should have. Really poor goals.
“We shouldn’t let them back into the game.
“They lost both their centre-backs and we should cause problems. We only h blame.”
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Richarlison and Armel Bella-kotchap both went off in the opening eight minutes, followed by Jan Bednarek and Ben Davies.
Substitutes Mohammed Salisu and Ainsley Maitland-niles teamed up in defence.
“That didn’t happen in my life, losing both centre-backs in the first half of the game,” said Saints boss Ruben Selles.
But at the start of seven minutes of injury time, Son Heung-min introduced a touch of class to proceedings with a gorgeous crossfield ball to release Porro and the Spanish wing-back lashed his shot in off the crossbar.
Within a minute of the re-start,
Saints were level with Che Adams’ first Premier League goal since the World Cup after he stabbed home a Walcott cross at the far post.
Kane headed home Dejan Kulusevski’s 65th-minute cross before Perisic volleyed home in the 74th minutes.
Three minutes later, Spurs failed to clear a corner and sub Sekou Mara’s cushioned header set up Walcott for a neat finish. It was his first goal since May 2021.
“There is no questioning his quality as a footballer,” said Selles.
And in the 90th minute, Emerson Royal clattered his fellow sub Maitlandniles to see Ward-prowse net the equaliser from the penalty spot in the third minute of injury time.
Selles’ first five league games in charge of Southampton had produced a total of just five goals – but his sixth produced six.
“The last 15 minutes showed the spirit in the team,” said the Spaniard.
“I’m very proud. I don’t think we deserved to be 3-1 down but we showed character and the crowd helped us. Once we scored the second one we had all the energy.
“You know the feeling when you go to the international break that you did something big. They showed character.
“We need to take all that we can. It is a great moment.”