Finally, Erik ten Hag could enjoy a game without the kind of lingering sense of jeopardy that had stalked his Manchester United so far this season. Four games in Ten Hag cut an embattled figure and was on the defensive, but after an awkward opening half an hour, well-taken goals by Matthijs De Ligt and Marcus Rashford allowed United to run away with things with uncharacteristic ease. Alejandro Garnacho completed the scoring in style, lashing United’s third into the roof of the net in the 96th minute.
Southampton did not muster a shot from the moment Cameron Archer’s rebound from a 33rd-minute saved penalty ended up in the gloves of André Onana and, to make matters worse for the Saints, their captain, Jack Stephens, was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Garnacho. Aside from Noussair Mazraoui being forced off with an injury and cramp setting in for others, this was a near-perfect day for Ten Hag, who introduced Manuel Ugarte late on for his United debut. On this occasion the smattering of full-time boos were not directed at the manager.
