Premier League Match Report: Southampton 1-1 Man United
It was another day of perspiration rather than inspiration for Man United, as the Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw away from home by a ten-man Southampton side.
United came into the game on the back of a shock 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford against Crystal Palace last week, while the Saints were looking to build on a 2-0 victory over Brighton in their previous Premier League fixture.
The Saints showed a lot of intent in the opening stages of the game, causing plenty of problems for the visitors with their energy in the middle of the park and high-pressing style.
It was United, however, who broke the deadlock in the 10th minute. Scott McTominay picked out the run of Daniel James, who cut inside from the left and absolutely blasted the ball into the top corner for his third goal of the season, thus putting the Red Devils in the driver’s seat.
That goal allowed United to settle down and work their way into the game, while Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side found it difficult to regain the lost momentum.
The visitors controlled possession and looked the more dominant of the two sides, although they didn’t make enough inroads into the Saints’ backline to create too many clear-cut chances.
United went into the interval with their noses in front following a late flurry of attacks from the Saints towards the end of the first half and the travelling fans would have hoped for their team to step up the gear in the second half and register a comfortable victory.
However, it was a different story altogether after the break, as Southampton came out with a point to prove and asked questions of United’s backline with spells of sustained pressure in the final third.
James Ward-Prowse and Sofiane Boufal combined beautifully to set up Che Adams for a rather simple opportunity, only for the new signing to fire his attempt wide from close-range.
Despite that, though, it wasn’t long before that the Saints eventually got themselves a much-deserved equaliser.
Danny Ings’ header off a corner was pushed away by David de Gea before Jannik Vestergaard outjumped Victor Lindelof to head it home and restore parity for the hosts in the 58th minute, Kevin Danso grabbing the assist for the equaliser.
With the score tied at 1-1, the last half-hour looked to have the makings of a really enthralling contest, although that evaporated shortly after when Danso’s reckless challenge on McTominay was deemed worthy of a second bookable offence by referee Mike Dean.
It was always going to be a game of attack against defence after that red-card incident and Man United’s failure to find a winner past a ten-man Southampton unit surely wouldn’t have pleased Ole Gunnar Solsjkjaer.
Mason Greenwood and Ashley Young came close with long-range efforts towards the end and James continued to threaten with his pace but, in the end, United left St. Mary’s with just a solitary point to show for their efforts.
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Hasenhuttl will see that as a point well-earned but the same cannot be said of Solskjaer, who will have his work cut out when the Red Devils play host to Leicester City in the Premier League next week.
Here’s how some of the bitterly disappointed United fans reacted to the 1-1 draw at St. Mary’s:-