Set-piece king James Ward-Prowse closed in on David Beckham's record – and then promised a whip-round to buy the emperor's new clothes.
Ward-Prowse has now scored from 17 free kicks in his Premier League career, just one behind the great Goldenballs himself, and only Lionel Messi (27) has hit the bullseye from a dead ball more than JWP in Europe's top leagues. As well as Ward-Prowse's stunning winner, Southampton's performance was an impressive opening statement in support of interim boss Ruben Telles, who is expected to land the job at least until the end of the season.
Full-backs Ashley Maitland-Niles and Romain Perraud made heroic blocks to deny Chelsea at least a point. Ward-Prowse crowed: “This is a special moment, a special day for us a club, hopefully a springboard to turn things round.
