James Ward-Prowse celebrates his only goal that gave his team victory over Chelsea
Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse is poised to be “one of the best” free kick takers of all time.
The player scored a new goal from a set-piece, on Saturday, once morest the struggling Chelsea team, to give his team, which occupies the last place in the English Premier League list, a valuable victory.
With this, Ward-Prowse raised his number of set-piece goals to 17 goals.
Ward-Prowse, 28, must score one similar goal to equal former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham’s record of 18 set-pieces in the Premier League.
“It’s a great feeling,” the Southampton captain told the BBC following the end of the game. “I’ve scored better goals than this. But I was happy to see him (the goal) go in.”
He added, “It’s good for me to know that any skill in life, if you work hard at it, you can master it.”
He continued by saying, “When I was doing this as a child in my parents’ garden, this is what I dreamed of. It is great to achieve this day.”
When Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta fouled Stuart Armstrong close to the penalty area at the end of the first half, there was near silence in the home crowd as Ward-Prowse stepped forward to chip in.
But on the other hand, Southampton fans chanted their captain’s name with predictable fervor.
Was this the moment when the visiting team would crown their efforts in the first half following wasting more than one opportunity to advance?
The midfielder fired a shot that bounced off the Chilean wall and flew out of reach of Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
England midfielder Fara Williams told the BBC’s Final Score: “The way he lifted the ball behind the wall … to land it back down, is unbelievable.”
Williams added, “He’s proven for years that he’s a set-piece specialist. It’s an amazing goal.”
Former England player Ian Wright considers Ward-Prowse to be “elite”, “unstoppable” and one of the best set-piece specialists ever.
Southampton coach Robin Celis praised his captain, saying, “Any word I say regarding him will not add any value to what he means to the team. He is amazing.”
Ward-Prowse scored four set-piece goals last season, more than any player in the Premier League, and is going down the same path this season with three set-piece goals to date.
Ward-Prowse has scored seven set-piece goals since the start of the 2021-22 season, more than double the number of any Premier League player.
Southampton is still in a dangerous position at the bottom of the league list, but only three points behind Bournemouth, who is in seventeenth place. Ward-Prowse might make the difference between relegation or survival in the Premier League.