Saints Marching
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Southampton: Statistical look at Saints’ worrying loss to Newcastle

By Marc Walker

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: Southampton player James Ward-Prowse (l) hits his free kick over the Newcastle wall for the second Saints goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at St. James Park on February 06, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: Southampton player James Ward-Prowse (l) hits his free kick over the Newcastle wall for the second Saints goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton at St. James Park on February 06, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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Ward-Prowse breaking records

One bright moment on another otherwise grim day for Saints was James Ward-Prowse’s fantastic free-kick goal.

As his strike found the net, he broke a number of significant records to future add to his reputation as one of the best set-piece takers around at the moment.

Via Gary Lineker, Ward-Prowse’s nine free-kick goals in the past five seasons put him second to only Lionel Messi in that time.

The England international has netted five of these in this domestic season alone – one better than David Beckham’s best ever tally in a single campaign.

He also moves joint-5th on the all-time Premier League list for direct free-kicks scored.

Given the amount of his career he still has ahead of him, there’s no reason why he can’t improve on these further still.