Watch the moment Southampton hero Adam Armstrong takes off shirt and sprints towards fans BEFORE final whistle

SOUTHAMPTON’S play-off hero Adam Armstrong jumped the gun on his promotion celebrations at Wembley this afternoon.

The striker was the star of the show scoring the only goal as the Saints booked a return to the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United under the arch.

GettyAdam Armstrong was the hero in the Play-Off final, but had one particularly awkward moment[/caption]

Armstrong heard the referee blow his whistle and began to take his shirt off

The striker ran to the crowd to celebrate

After realising the whistle was blown for a free kick, he sheepishly put his top back on and got back into position

Armstrong was keen to celebrate playing a vital role in Southampton‘s immediate bounce back up to the top flight, but perhaps too keen.

The 27-year-old was waiting for the final whistle to blow so he could celebrate with the south coast fans who had made the trip up to London to watch their team win at Wembley.

And with the clock ticking past the 101st minute the referee lifted his whistle to his lips prompting Armstrong to immediately rip off his shirt and sprint towards the Southampton supporters.

Awkwardly, Armstrong quickly realised that referee John Brooks had actually blown up for a free kick and was brandishing a yellow card to his teammate Joel Aribo.

Fortunately he was able to avoid a booking of his own for taking his shirt off.

The former England U21 international had to sheepishly put his shirt back on and wander back into position after the embarrassing moment.

But he still had his time to celebrate when Brooks did blow the final whistle just moments later.

Armstrong did the exact same thing and ripped off his shirt before sprinting away to celebrate with the Southampton support.

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Fans couldn’t believe the hilarious moment and took to social media to react.

One wrote: “He looked so embarrassed after!”

While another joked: “Imagine Leeds went and scored from that free kick and went on to win the game. That’s gotta be the most embarrassing moment in football history right there!”

Armstrong had every right to celebrate being the difference maker in what was a tightly fought affair in ‘football’s richest game’.

He cooly tucked the ball past Illan Meslier and into the bottom corner after just 23 minutes had gone by.

The former Blackburn star had found himself in acres of space and did what he does best.

Armstrong has managed an impressive 24 goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season.

And he will be hoping he can carry that form into the Premier League him next term.

However he has struggled with life in England’s top flight in the past – scoring just four times in 68 Premier League appearances across his career.

RexArmsrong scored the only goal of the afternoon[/caption]

GettyAfter the final whistle eventually blew he was able to remove his top again[/caption]

GettyThe striker celebrated with the travelling Saints support[/caption]