Stuart Armstrong candidly admitted that he never practiced free-kicks with James Ward-Prowse, jokingly remarking, “I never saw the point because he’d never let anyone take one anyway!” This light-hearted comment came after Armstrong’s impressive match-winning goal against Stoke City, where he struck a 25-yard free-kick that gracefully kissed the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
Armstrong’s spectacular goal turned out to be the only one in the match, securing a victory for Russell Martin’s side, who managed to keep their first clean sheet and secure their second consecutive win after enduring four consecutive losses.
The Scotland international recently rejoined the team for the Leeds United game, contributing to their 3-1 victory, and retained his spot in the starting lineup on Tuesday night.
Reflecting on his experience of playing alongside former captain Ward-Prowse, who is just one goal away from matching David Beckham’s Premier League free-kick record, Armstrong humorously revealed, “I never saw the point because he’d never let anyone take one anyway!”
However, he acknowledged the reasons behind Ward-Prowse’s dominance in free-kick taking, stating, “But for good reason, he’s the best free-kick taker I’ve seen. His quality is unmatched, and I’m sure he will go on to be the record-breaking Premier League free-kick goalscorer.”
Armstrong has had the privilege of closely observing Ward-Prowse’s dedication to perfecting his free-kicks for five years. He expressed his aspiration to improve his own free-kick skills with more practice.
Describing the moment leading up to his remarkable goal, Armstrong explained, “The ref was sorting things out, so I had a lot of time to think. The keeper was standing in the middle of the goal, which I thought was strange.”
He continued, “That made me change my mind a little bit, but I thought, ‘No, I’ll stick to it.’ The ball feels a bit lighter, so you can take some power off with a bit more control and accuracy.”
In the end, Armstrong’s execution was precise, and he emphasized the most crucial aspect, saying, “I knew it would spin a lot, and the execution was good, but most importantly it got us the three points.”
Southampton secured their fifth win of the season, exerting pressure on their promotion rivals after a shaky start under new manager Martin. Armstrong had an opportunity to extend their lead with a close-range header shortly after half-time, and there were also one-on-one chances for Kamaldeen Sulemana and Sekou Mara.
Armstrong commented, “We could have made the game easier for ourselves; it was a bit scrappy, and we had a couple of chances, myself included, which would have made it more comfortable.”
He added, “Naturally, when you only have a one-goal advantage, you get a bit deeper, and they have more attacks, but it was a proud defensive performance for us.”
Next up, Southampton will host second-bottom Rotherham at St Mary’s in their final Championship match before the October international break.
