Manchester United stretched their unbeaten run to 6 games, going level on points with Manchester City on top of the Premier League, only behind on goal difference. They will be massively pleased with having come out of that encounter with 3 points, as the hosts made sure it wasn’t as easy for the Red Devils as has been of late.
Let’s look at the main talking points from the Southampton vs Man Utd:
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Romelu Lukaku is easing into life at Manchester United
Another match, another goal for Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian continued his fine goalscoring form with an important goal against Southampton. He scored the only goal of the game, as he converted a rebound from a Forster save. He has now scored six times in his first six appearances, equaling Louis Saha’s club record. It was a mature performance from the striker and this performance showed just how good his holdup play has become. The striker seems up to the task at hand, as his celebrations post the final whistle showed the passion he has for the club and how much this victory meant to him.
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United show defensive maturity
That was not a pretty performance by any means, but it was efficient from Manchester United. This performance is testament to their flexibility this season. While they have been blazing up front, their defence showed their reliability on the night. This match was surely one of Phil Jones’ best performance in a United jersey. With Gareth Southgate in attendance, we can expect an easy call-up to the England squad for the next international break. Eric Bailly too was enormous in defence. He was a livewire and was always alert to douse off any threat from the opposition.
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Southampton were toothless up front
Southampton were a threat in attack throughout the game. They pegged United back in their own half and had the lion’s share of possession on the night. But their main struggle this season continued to haunt them as they failed to convert the pressure into a goal. They have now failed to find the back of the net in eight of their last nine home games in all competitions. They slipped down the league standings to 11th position and will have to work on their finishing if they wish to stop their slump.
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Ashley Young gives Mourinho further headache
Luke Shaw has had a torrid time of late. He just recently made his comeback to the starting lineup after yet another injury spell on the sidelines. But looking at the form of his current replacement at LB, it seems like he’ll have to wait longer for a return to Premier League action. Ashley Young has been the fullback United have sorely missed of late. His deliveries have been threatening and has got two assists in as many games this season. Mourinho has successfully managed to convert another winger into a functional full back. We can definitely expect a lot more from Young as the season progresses.
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Rashford’s body language seems wrong
Marcus Rashford has progressed through the Manchester United ranks since his inception to the first team squad. His performance against Burton Albion was impressive but his body language was questionable. Even today, Marcus Rashford made questionable decisions. He was selfish and failed to spot his teammates when they were clearly in better positions. Even against Burton Albion, he seemed a bit off after his second goal. He went anonymous in the second half as he was staved of service in the latter stages of the game.
