Trailing 1-0 at the break, the Saints skipper took matters into his own hands as he netted twice in the second half, including a brilliant free-kick, to earn Nathan Jones his first win as a Premier League manager.
The game kicked off amid unrest on Merseyside, with the Toffees’ board of directors instructed not to attend because of a “real and credible threat to their safety and security.”
That led to an eerie atmosphere inside Goodison, but the game eventually got going, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mohammed Salisu having shots saved at either end.
Everton were shading it, and they duly took the lead before the break as Amadou Onana rose highest to powerfully nod home Demarai Gray’s corner.
Alex Iwobi nearly doubled the lead minutes later with a curling effort that drifted just wide, while the Saints almost grabbed an undeserved equaliser in injury time, only for Jordan Pickford to superbly tip Ward-Prowse’s shot onto the post.
The midfielder made no mistake after HT though, levelling less than a minute into the second period as he slotted into the bottom corner after skipping past Ben Godfrey’s tackle.
The Blues were undeterred though, and nearly restored the lead when Calvert-Lewin’s deflected effort rattled the bar.
Godfrey then came close when meeting Onana’s deep cross, only to find the side-netting from a tight angle, and Everton were made to pay for those missed chances as Ward-Prowse grabbed his second of the afternoon with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick.
The result means the Toffees, who saw a late Tarkowski shot cleared, are without a win in nine and are now joint bottom of the table with Southampton.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
