Shades of Beckham as Ward-Prowse adds gloss to Saints win
FORGET bending it like Beckham, whip it like James Ward-Prowse.
The Southampton midfielder scored a scrumptious set-piece and added a penalty as Southampton eased to victory at St Mary’s.
Ward-Prowse is close to a call-up to the senior England team, having captained the Under 21s, and his double — his first in a Southampton shirt — will have been duly noted by manager Roy Hodgson. He had one league goal in 92 Premier League appearances before the match, then two more in the space of 35 minutes here.
In front of new signing Charlie Austin, who completed a £4million switch from QPR in the morning, Ward-Prowse’s goals — and another from Dusan Tadic — enabled Southampton to record two consecutive wins for the first time in three months.
Austin had barely taken his seat in the stands before WardProwse bent a superb free-kick into the top left corner on five minutes. Sadio Mane was fouled just outside the area by Craig Dawson and his team-mate whipped the ball over the wall and in from 25 yards. West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill stood no chance.
With that kind of technique, it is a wonder Ward-Prowse does not score more. He has studied videos of David Beckham’s free-kicks and puts in extra practice two or three times a week. Austin applauded from his seat, surely looking forward to getting on the end of a few of his crosses. ‘He’s brilliant, it’s one of his qualities,’ manager Ronald Koeman said. ‘I mention always to Prowsey to keep working on free-kicks and corner kicks. He can score out of it.’
West Brom created very little — the closest they came in the first half was a header just wide from Craig Gardner — and they went two behind when Matt Targett was fouled by Dawson inside the area on 34 minutes.
Ward-Prowse put the penalty into the bottom left corner as Myhill dived the opposite way. He may have a battle to maintain spot-kick duties, with Austin fancying his chances when he comes in.
Ward-Prowse’s delivery also caused West Brom problems when he bent a corner from the left into their six-yard box moments
before his second goal. Myhill came to punch but completely missed the ball and Claudio Yacob had to clear it from dangerously close to his own goal-line.
It would have been three shortly before the break had James McClean not slid back to block Targett’s effort across goal, which had beaten Myhill and was heading into the bottom corner. They finally added a third, however, after Tadic was introduced for Mane. Steven Davis dribbled at speed to the edge of West Brom’s penalty area, cut inside and slipped in the Serbian on 72 minutes.
Ward-Prowse was screaming for the ball to be passed into the middle for his hat-trick, but Tadic thumped it past Myhill from a tight angle on the left instead.
‘We looked flat, as if we had no sparkle at all with us,’ West Brom manager Tony Pulis complained afterwards. However, Ward-Prowse sparkled all afternoon. Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster 6; Cedric Soares 6 (Martina 84min), Jose Fonte 6.5, Van Dijk 6.5, Bertrand 6; Wanyama 6.5, Ward-Prowse 8; Mane 7 (Tadic 63, 7), S Davis 7 (Romeu 73, 6), Targett 7.5; Long 6.5. Subs (not used): Davis, Yoshida, Pelle, Juanmi. WBa (4-4-1-1): Myhill 5; Dawson 4, Olsson 6 (Rondon 46, 6), McAuley 6, Evans 6; Gardner 6, Yacob 6, Fletcher 6 (Brunt 46, 6), McClean 6; Sessegnon 5.5 (Berahino 63, 6); Anichebe 6. Subs (not used): Foster; Chester, Lambert, McManaman. RefeRee: M Atkinson 7.