Southampton carried out a professional performance as they easily dismantled of Norwich City with their 3-0 victory at an empty Carrow Road.
The Saints remain in 14th place in the Premier League table but move further away from the relegation zone, and are now 10 points ahead of West Ham United and Bournemouth who are level on points in 17th.
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl opted to go with a standard 4-4-2 formation, with James Ward-Prowse taking the captain’s armband from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after he was stripped by the Austrian tactician.
This is due to the Danish middleman not committing his future with the club after Tottenham have been heavily linked to signing him once the 2019/20 campaign draws to a close.
This proved not to be a distraction as the new skipper shone as the Saints destroyed the Canaries on their own soil.
Does James Ward-Prowse deserve the captain's armband?
Southampton commanded the game brilliantly as the link-up play through the midfield into the forward men was a key part of their victory, with Ward-Prowse predominantly to thank for this with both his attacking and defensive duties.
Despite missing a big chance, he managed to tally three shots on target, as well as two key passes, six interceptions and a pass success rate of 78%, as per Sofascore.
Ward-Prowse has illustrated once more why he is a shining example in this side, with Hasenhuttl previously describing him as the “full package” in this team.
The boss is right. At the age of 25, the Englishman has plenty of years ahead of him and his loyalty to the club deserves to be rewarded.
