Ward-Prowse brace gives Southampton victory at ailing Everton

LIVERPOOL, England :James Ward-Prowse scored twice as bottom side Southampton came from behind to claim a vital 2-1 Premier League victory at fellow strugglers Everton and deepen the crisis at Goodison Park on Saturday as home fans protested against the club's board.

Amadou Onana gave the home side a first half lead but Ward-Prowse equalised in the first minute of the second period and then curled in a trademark free-kick to give Southampton their first victory at Everton since 1997.

Southampton stay bottom of the standings with 15 points from their 19 games, the same number as Everton, who are above them on goal difference.

The result comes on a day when members of the Everton board were advised to stay away from the ground over what the club termed a "real and credible threat to their safety and security". Everton fans had planned a ‘sit-in’ at the stadium following the game in protest at the club’s current plight.

The victory ends a run of six straight league defeats for Southampton and comes in a week in which they dumped Manchester City out of the League Cup, a marked improvement for new manager Nathan Jones after a difficult start at the club.

"I feel like we’ve finally turned a corner," Ward-Prowse said. "Today was a huge, huge step. We were up against it at halftime but we’ve dug in and shown what we’re all about in the second (half).

"Playing further forward suits me. The manager has given me license to get forward and into the box which gives me the chance to score more goals."

Everton looked the more composed in the first half and were ahead on 39 minutes as Onana met Demarai Gray's corner to score with a header, his first goal for the club.

They held that lead until the break but Southampton were level 46 seconds