The new Premier League campaign rolled on over the weekend with a string of really intriguing games, with one of the most notable taking place on the south coast.
Southampton hosted Manchester United in a fixture that proved to be a whole lot closer than many anticipated with the two top-flight sides sharing the points in an entertaining 1-1 draw.
United’s defensive complacency
Despite picking up four points from their first two games of the new season, there seems to be a deeply embedded issue within this Manchester United team with regards to the first half – and potentially the start of the second. Between the Leeds opener and the Saints draw they followed on from last season with their habit of either going behind or letting a lead slip, immediately making life harder for themselves. In a weird way it feels like a continuation of the Fergie era, but whether it pays dividends, in the long run, remains to be seen.
Hope for Southampton
Ralph Hasenhuttl will be feeling pretty frustrated this morning given Adam Armstrong’s golden opportunity to win the Saints the game, but given the fact that his side was humbled 9-0 by United last season, we’d argue he should probably take what he can get. Southampton were actually the side going on the attack more often than not in the final 20 minutes and after so many folks wrote them off as strong relegation contenders, we’d imagine a performance like this would’ve felt pretty good.
Big week for Ole’s side
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows and understands that there are still areas that need improving for the Red Devils. Above all else, having someone to assist in the holding midfield role would be ideal, as the club continues to struggle with teams who decide to really go at them. That won’t be so much of a problem against the weaker sides in the league but if they’re serious about contending for the title with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, they can’t really afford to be much less than perfect – which has always been a challenge for Ole as manager.
Match Report
Southampton: McCarthy (7), Perraud (6.5), Salisu (7.5), Stephens (7), Livramento (7.5), Djenepo (6), Ward-Prowse (7), Romeu (6.5), Walcott (6.5), Armstrong (6), Adams (7), Diallo (6), Walker-Peters (6.5), Bednarek (6)
Manchester United: de Gea (6.5), Wan-Bissaka (6.5), Lindelof (6.5), Maguire (6.5), Shaw (6.5), Fred (6.5), Matic (7), Greenwood (7.5), Fernandes (6.5), Pogba (7.5), Martial (6), McTominay (6), Sancho (6.5), Lingard (6)
Referee: Craig Pawson
Goals: Fred OG :: Greenwood
Yellow Cards: Stephens, Djenepo, Maguire, Fernandes, Pogba
Red Cards: N/A
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