James Ward-Prowse on Livramento injury and free-kick wizardry

The Saints captain struck twice to see his side come from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Amex Stadium, but Livramento’s exit overshadowed the occasion.

The 19-year-old was replaced by substitute Romain Perraud with a nasty knee injury after 36 minutes of the first-half, with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl admitting it looks "very, very serious".

Livramento had recovered from a knee meniscus injury already this year, missing five Premier League matches over six weeks and managing swelling ever since.

Read more

• Hasenhuttl gives Livramento update after horror injury at Brighton
• Livramento sends social media response to nice Ward-Prowse gesture
• 'Don't live in a cave' - Brighton boss gives Ward-Prowse and Saints verdict

He could now be set to miss the rest of the season, if hospital scans confirm what is suspected. Ward-Prowse, who paid tribute to Livramento with a T gesture in celebration of his equaliser, tells how the youngster made a final impact even from the sidelines.

Tino Livramento required serious medical treatment during the draw at Burnley (Pic: PA)

“It was disappointing and stressful for everyone to see,” Ward-Prowse told the Daily Echo, speaking after the match in Sussex.

“It’s not nice to see anyone go down injured like that. He’s obviously in our thoughts at the minute. I saw him post-game in the changing room, he’s upbeat now.

“It’s going to take him a little while to come around to it but it’s up to us now as a team and a club to get behind him and give him all the support he needs.”

@EddySFC re: your Tino Livramento question, been told that Thursday is likely earliest club will say anything as they like to let the injury settle before conclusive scans. That would leave press conference as likely route 👍 something could always come sooner though, ofc

— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) April 25, 2022

He continued: “The rivalries between all the teams are high but when someone’s injured it’s great to see all the players and the fans from Brighton giving him the respect and applause he deserves. A nice moment in a way and hopefully now we can all get behind him.

“I think it kind of spurred us on in a way, he was in our minds from that moment on and it gave us a kick that we needed. Obviously it’s an unfortunate injury for him and we wish him all the best. It was a tough moment that put a dampener on the first half and spurred us on.”

Ward-Prowse took himself to within four of David Beckham’s free-kick record (18) with his special effort in added time of the first-half, after Livramento’s substitution.

James Ward-Prowse scores his fourth free-kick of the season (Pic: PA)

It was a different strike to ones he had converted at Crystal Palace, Wolves and Leeds United earlier this campaign. This deft stroke went low and off goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s far post to evade detection.

“The more you score, the more predictable it becomes,” he admitted. “You have to make sure you’re able to show some variation and do something surprising and thankfully I caught him off guard today.”

Ward-Prowse reached a personal best total of nine goals in a single Premier League season with his second, converting an Oriol Romeu backheel from the edge of the area.

“I think I had 10 goals at the start of the season as my sort of benchmark so one more to go in the league but more importantly it’s contributing to some good results and that’s the main thing.”

Saints had to show a reaction from their dismal 2-0 defeat at Burnley on Thursday, which left travelling fans as bemused as they were frustrated.

“That’s the basic thing you need as a player and as a team: to show that you can compete and fight for every ball,” Ward-Prowse explained. “I think the lads we had on the pitch today showed that. A real positive step considering the result we had in midweek.

“I think it was important in to not lose the game. The game was stretched, we wanted to go for a winner but away at Brighton I think it’s a good point.”

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