Saints march on with win over WBA

Southampton - Free-scoring Southampton beat West Brom 3-0 at Saint Mary's for a third straight Premier League win on Saturday with two goals from England under-21 captain James Ward-Prowse.

Southampton are now tenth on 30 points and looking good for a Europa League bid if they can maintain the kind of form that saw them finish seventh last season to make the qualifying round.

Ronald Koeman's charges came into the game having banged four goals past Arsenal and on the back of a 2-0 midweek win over a handy Crystal Palace side in their last two home games.

But in this mid-table battle West Brom arrived on the South coast having taken seven points from Chelsea, Stoke and Newcastle in their last three and pundits were predicting a tight game.

The 21-year-old Ward-Prowse, a product of the Southampton youth team with over 100 first team games under his belt, would be largely responsible for the three points staying at Saint Mary's.

Ward-Prowse's first goal was a free-kick, hammered into the top-left hand corner from over 20-yards out on the left and which exposed 'keeper Boaz Myhill's positioning as he belatedly raced across his goal desperately.

West Brom's 33-year-old former Welsh international 'keeper then dived the wrong way as Ward-Prowse cooly converted his spot-kick after Matt Targett was fouled in the area by Craig Dawson.

Serbian international winger Dusan Tadic's angled shot after a lightening break down the left made it 3-0 for the hosts, and added to the goal the substitute had scored in midweek.

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

Tony Pulis's side can comfort themselves that they're eight points above the drop zone in 13th place in the Premier League after 22 games, a place above champions Chelsea with whom they drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge in midweek.

Southampton's win came after they had signed striker Charlie Austin from Queen's Park Rangers on Saturday morning to beef up their attack for the run in.