“The best delivery in the league” - Jan Bednarek pours praise on James Ward-Prowse

Southampton may have lost to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, but Saints captain James Ward-Prowse made yet another lasting impression with his set pieces in the game.

Ward-Prowse swung in a corner for Jan Bednarek to head home to give Southampton a first-half lead, before scoring his third direct free-kick of the season to make it 2-0 and injured goalkeeper David De Gea in the process.

In the end, Southampton folded under pressure against United in the second half with the Saints succumbing to a 3-2 defeat, but the aforementioned Bednarek heaped praise on the team’s captain following the game.

“He has got the best delivery in the league, so we have to use it and that’s what we are trying to do,” Bednarek told the Southampton website.

“We practise a lot during the week on set-pieces and I think we have scored a few goals this season, so I think that has to be our strength. Prowsey delivering the ball is a great opportunity to create chances.”

Bednarek said the set piece routine he scored from has been rehearsed in training a lot of late. However, he concedes that his goal wasn’t enough to deflect from what was a poor second-half performance.

“We practised it [the set piece routine] and it’s a danger zone. Prowsey delivered a great ball, I flicked it in, and it was a goal.

“It’s nice, but it’s not enough. We still have to work hard to get something and that’s what we’ll do.”