Saints beat Baggies as Long speculation continues

Southampton claimed back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time since early November, thanks to a James Ward-Prowse double, with 3-0 win over West Brom.

There were no goals for Ireland striker Shane Long, though he played the full 90 minutes.

The 26-year-old, who completed his move this afternoon, was watching from the stands and would have been impressed as Saints took the lead through Ward-Prowse’s brilliant free-kick after five minutes – his first goal of the season.

Southampton began with the urgency of a team that still had a point to prove, and the piercing quality of the first of James Ward-Prowse’s goals, in the fifth minute, was an emphatic sign of their returning belief.

Victor Wanyama is back in contention for Southampton as they face West Brom in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Ward-Prowse curled the free-kick up and over the wall, his effort beating Baggies goalkeeper Boaz Myhill far too easily as it flew into the top corner. “Then when you are 1-0 up West Brom have to do more and do things differently”.

Dawson was again the guilty party in the 33rd minute, although the defender was perhaps unlucky that his collision with Matt Targett in the area was adjudged a foul.

Tadic’s goal owed a great deal to Steven Davis’s surging run and the Northern Irishman was full of pace and passing throughout.

Provisional squad: Foster, Myhill, Lindegaard, Chester, Gamboa, Dawson, Olsson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt, Pocognoli, Fletcher, Yacob, McClean, McManaman, Gardner, Sessegnon, Lambert, Berahino, Anichebe, Rondon.

West Brom’s defensive game plan.

“We tried our best to give the lads as much rest as we possibly could”.

Prowse, an England Under-21 midfielder, was an unlikely star as he had scored in the league only once before.

Prowse became the first Southampton player to score directly from a free kick since February 2014.

On a day when Ronald Koeman widened his attacking options with the signing of Charlie Austin, one of Southampton’s midfielders stepped up to boost his side’s goal threat.

West Brom manager Tony Pulis may make “one or two changes” after monitoring his players’ fitness levels in a light training session on Friday.

Saints will be hoping they have just snapped up a new goalscoring talisman in the shape of Austin.