The former Saints captain faced his old team for the first time since leaving St Mary's.
After the 1-1 draw, Ward-Prowse said: "It was a strange feeling, it was different to any other game I have played in before.
"It felt a bit emotional for me in a sense.
"It’s disappointing to see them where they are in the table. I hope they will be back in the Premier League soon, I wish them all the best."
On the result, Ward-Prowse admitted: "This halts any momentum that we’re trying to build here. The performances haven't been bad but we lacked tempo.
"In the first half, we allowed them to dig into the game, while we need to give our fans something to get off their seats about.
"We need to be adaptable and have different things up our sleeves against all types of teams we are playing."