Final Score: Manchester United 0-0 Southampton
Manchester United’s winless run extended to four games across all competitions, when they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Southampton at the Old Trafford, on Saturday.
Coming into the game on the back of two consecutive draws in the Premier League, against Leicester City and Burnley, the Red Devils badly needed a win badly and one would have expected them to make easy work of the Saints who had conceded 5 goals in their preceding fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. However, a disciplined performance from the Southampton backline, coupled with a lack of quality and creativity in the final third from United meant the game ended in a stalemate.
The result meant Jose Mourinho’s men slipped down to the 3rd place in the Premier League table, following Chelsea’s win over Stoke City earlier in the day.
Here’s how the United stars fared in what was another disappointing outing;
Manchester United Player Ratings
David De Gea – 7.5/10
Made a brilliant reaction save to deny Shane Long in the second period, after having denied Oriol Romeu in the first half. Not much to do apart from that.
Ashley Young – 6/10
Looked like a threat each time he ventured forward, but the end product wasn’t always up to the mark from the England international.
Victor Lindelof – 6.5/10
Was caught out by Long on one occasion in the first period, but was generally solid apart from that one moment.
Phil Jones – 7/10
Another reliable performance from the Englishman in the heart of the United defence. Always alert to any threat and showed good awareness throughout.
Luke Shaw – 6/10
Found plenty of spaces down the left-hand side and got forward with utmost regularity. But his end product left a lot to be desired.
Paul Pogba – 5/10
Leading the side on the day, the Frenchman was hardly as influential as his manager would have wanted him to be. Played a couple of delectable long balls, but that was as good as it got. Had a goal ruled out for offside late on.
Nemanja Matic – 5/10
The giant Serb looks badly in need of a rest. Wasteful with his long-range efforts and was caught napping for Long’s chance in the second period. Clumsy at times and booked.
Juan Mata – 6/10
Created a good opportunity for Romelu Lukaku early on. Showed some neat touches and passes throughout. Tried to make things happen, but just could not make the difference.
Jesse Lingard – 6/10
Headed wide from a great cross in the first period. Could have won a penalty, but the claims were denied by the referee. Got into good positions but faded with time.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 4/10
Looks like a player extremely low on confidence. Starting his first league game in close to two months, the Armenian was all over the place, as he constantly mishit passes and crosses. Failed to make the most of his chance.
Romelu Lukaku – N/A
Missed a great chance early in the game, before getting subbed off in the 14th minute with a bad-looking head injury.
Substitutes
Marcus Rashford – 5/10
Came on for the injured Lukaku. Another display that was hardly anything to write home about from the teenager. Has been struggling in recent weeks.
Anthony Martial – 6/10
Replaced Mkhitaryan in the second period. Added a sense of urgency and got into promising positions on a few occasions.