A head-turning statistic surrounding the set-piece stylings of Southampton star James Ward-Prowse has come to the fore on Saturday night.
For these not conscious, Ward-Prowse was again on the scoresheet as soon as extra earlier at the moment.
This got here as Southampton made the journey to Elland Street, for a gathering with Leeds United within the membership’s return to motion on the again of the worldwide break.
When all was stated and executed in west Yorkshire, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s guests managed to emerge with a share of the spoils, regardless of falling behind on the half-hour mark when Jack Harrison poked house from shut vary.
🤩 “Harrison! From shut vary!” pic.twitter.com/GDSEk6Pfal
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 2, 2022
Southampton’s decisive equaliser, in the meantime, arrived early within the 2nd-half.
After the Saints received a free-kick deep in Leeds’ half, the aforementioned Ward-Prowse took accountability, bending house a luxurious trademark effort to depart the sprawling Illan Meslier with no probability:
We’ve run out of phrases 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lf9UxkdIhB
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 2, 2022
And, within the course of, Southampton’s captain etched his title into the historical past books of the Premier League.
This comes with Ward-Prowse now sitting 2nd within the competitors’s historical past on the subject of objectives straight from free-kicks, with 13 to his title.
This tally leaves the English worldwide trailing solely Manchester United icon David Beckham, who managed a whopping 18 throughout his personal stint within the English top-flight:
13 – Solely David Beckham (18) has scored extra direct free-kick objectives in Premier League historical past than James Ward-Prowse (13), with 9 of Ward-Prowse’s strikes coming away from house. Trademark.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 2, 2022
Mid-table battle
Southampton’s newest level secured implies that the Saints stay eleventh within the Premier League desk, albeit now solely based mostly on aim distinction.
A constructive outcome up in opposition to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who in fact slipped to a 4-1 drubbing by the hands of Brentford earlier at the moment, might, in flip, information Hasenhuttl and co. again into the highest half of the desk, doubtlessly as excessive as ninth.
This comes with Southampton locked on 36 factors with Tenth-placed Aston Villa, and solely a solitary level again of Leicester Metropolis in ninth.
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