Southampton: Ward-Prowse trolls Wilfried Zaha with hilarious “pocket” gesture

Southampton claimed their fourth away win in a row after a 2-0 triumph over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

The Saints moved up to ninth in the Premier League as a result, but the game was perhaps more memorable for reviving one of the top-flight’s lesser-known player rivalries.

Since James Ward-Prowse played a big part in getting Wilfried Zaha sent off when the Saints and Eagles faced off at St Mary’s last season, it’s fair to say that the two players have not been best friends.

The feud continued in Tuesday’s meeting, with television cameras showing Zaha poking a finger into Ward-Prowse’s eye as the players went off at half-time.

Saints fans are loving the way that their man has got the better of Palace’s talisman on multiple occasions now, and this led to the “he’s got Zaha in his pocket” chant being sung as Saints cruised to victory.

Ward-Prowse responded to this in a way that the travelling faithful will have loved: by looking into his pocket and appearing to agree with the views in the stands behind him.

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• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

Some people may see the whole situation as a little unsavoury and unnecessary, but it actually played a huge part in another three points for Saints.

By getting under the skin of Zaha and moving his focus from the match and onto the opponents who were winding him up, the main threat in Palace’s side was removed and the winger had a very quiet game.

When Ralph Hasenhuttl came in as Saints manager, he challenged Ward-Prowse to become a “nasty” player, and has spoken before about how his side need to do anything they can to secure a win sometimes.

This is exactly what he has got against Palace in the last few meetings – leading to some positive results that have won vital points.

Ward-Prowse has also gained a lot from his manager’s words and has become the player that Saints fans wanted him to be when he first broke into the first-team.

Zaha, on the other hand, remains a superb talent and capable of winning a game on his own, but his feud with the Saints man has highlighted a flaw that other teams may take advantage of.