Aston Villa 3-4 Southampton: James Ward-Prowse scores two free-kicks on his birthday as Saints beat Villa

The England midfielder fired in twice before half-time after providing the assist for Jannik Vestergaard's 20th-minute opener to put the result beyond doubt at the break.

When Danny Ings scored his fifth Premier League of the season with more than half-an-hour to play, any margin of victory looked possible.

But Tyrone Mings headed home soon after before an Ollie Watkins penalty and Jack Grealish strike, both in injury time, gave the scoreline a misleading feel.

It could have been worse before the home side's two late strikes, with Saints having goals from Che Adams and Ings ruled out for offside in each half.

After their 3-0 defeat by Leeds last time out, Villa’s fine start to the season is now in danger of fading away.

They were second best from the start and the visitors thought they had opened the scoring after just three minutes when Ezri Konsa’s clearance hit Adams to squirm in.

VAR took an age but eventually ruled the Southampton striker was marginally offside.

They got a deserved opener after 20 minutes when Kyle Walker-Peters was fouled by Matt Targett and Ward-Prowse’s excellent delivery was met by Vestergaard’s thumping header.

A rash challenge saw Douglas Luiz bring Walcott down 25 yards out not long after and Ward-Prowse bent a brilliant free kick into the top corner.

It was Southampton’s 1,000th Premier League goal and the Saints skipper added the next just before the break, punishing Matty Cash's reckless handball on the edge of the box with and equally impressive strike.

The previously quiet Ings finished off a flowing move on 58 minutes when he cut in from the left and lashed in off the bar, and at that point a thrashing was on the cards.

But Villa pulled a goal back four minutes later when Mings glanced in Grealish’s delivery, and were handed a let-off by the linesman's flag after Ings fired in soon after.

They chipped away and were rewarded with Watkins’ injury-time penalty after Ibrahima Diallo chopped down Grealish, who scored from inside the box himself before the final whistle.

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