So let’s end where we began: Manchester United are back, baby! Ben Fisher was on the south coast to see them win away at long last. His report has landed, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Erik ten Hag talks to BT. “"I think we learned some lessons from Brentford. We were compact for their long balls, so that was quite good. We are really happy with this result. We created some really good chances. It is the start of the season, it is tough, you have to battle. We did that today, and you get rewarded. Bruno’s finish was fantastic. Straight after half time, Rashford was more of a target. Be more of a target and we can play over you. You get movement around, and we created straight after half time some really good chances. That is how I see football and how I want to play. There is room for improvement, to control more. We can improve, it is clear.” As for transfers? “If good players are available, we will strike. We will be alert until the last second of the window.”
That McTominay handball, then. Replays show he actually handled the ball on two more occasions after the initial contact described in this MBM, finally swatting it away, and in the BT studio, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Peter Crouch all suggest United got away with one. However resident BT referee Peter Walton argues: “The defence in law is the close proximity … he had no chance to avoid the contact … it wasn’t deliberate as the ball went to his hand, not hand to ball … but the close proximity is the important thing in terms of why that wasn’t given … he knew nothing about the ball striking his hand … yes, Southampton will feel hard done by, but I understand why, in law, that wasn’t given.”
Updated
A frustrated Ralph Hasenhuttl talks to BT. “I am proud of the guys. They did a really good job today. We had good moments, good chances. We did a lot of things right, and I think we deserved more, but the momentum was not on our side. We had good moments, a lot of chances. Every set piece was dangerous. But today the ball didn’t want to go in. This team show every week that they really fight for this club. It is good to see.”
Manchester United’s hard-fought win catapults them up the table into sixth place, at least for a couple of hours. Saints drop a couple of places to 13th spot, but will take heart from their performance. Armel Bella-Kotchap certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side, that’s for sure.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Brighton | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 4 | -3 | 6 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| 13 | Southampton | 4 | -3 | 4 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 3 | -3 | 3 |
Saints will feel they deserved a point on the balance of play. They could easily have been awarded a penalty, too. But United scored a peach of a goal, Bruno Fernandes finishing a fine team move, and they defended in the staunch manner. The capitulation against Brentford seems a world away; from risible to resolute in just two weeks! Their captain and match-winner Bruno Fernandes says: “Away at Southampton is not easy. Sometimes we have to suffer, but we did a great job. One win doesn’t make the league, two doesn’t make the league, we have to carry on with the spirit we have shown in these last two games. That is what this club demands. We have set the standard. We want to win every game.”
FULL TIME: Southampton 0-1 Manchester United
Nothing comes of it, and it’s another three points for Erik ten Hag’s all-new Manchester United! They break their seven-match losing run away from home!
Updated
90 min +6: Fred is booked for a cynical tug on Stuart Armstrong, who was making one last break upfield. Free kick, and a Hail Mary from Bazunu coming up!
90 min +5: A cross comes into the United box from the right. Mara tries to steer a volley back across goal and into the top right, but it’s off target. As was his aforementioned overhead kick, as replays show. Still, full marks for ambition.
90 min +4: Saints nearly equalise in spectacular fashion! Mara sends an overhead kick towards the left-hand side of the United goal, De Gea out of it, but Dalot clears off the line!
90 min +3: On BT Sport, Lucy Ward names Lisandro Martinez as the man of the match.
90 min +2: Fred is immediately involved, putting a stop to Stuart Armstrong’s gallop down the inside-right channel.
90 min +1: Fred comes on for Eriksen.
90 min: The board goes up: there will be six bonus minutes.
89 min: Good news for McTominay, who has thankfully avoided injury. He’s back up and running. Meanwhile the United travelling support tell it like it is re the Glazers. A green flare is set off as they protest. No gold one.
88 min: While McTominay gets some treatment, Saints make a double change. Lyanco and Perraud come on for Aribo and Djenepo.
87 min: McTominay battles with Lavia, then goes down in a heap. He looks to have caught his studs in the turf. Hopefully that looks worse than it is, but he’s hurt his knee and is in a lot of pain.
85 min: Kotchap channels his inner Beckenbauer by snaffling a loose ball 40 yards from the United goal, breezing past Casemiro, entering the box, and … blazing wildly over the bar. But what a run by the big defender! Apologies for belabouring the point, but he really does look like a proper player.
83 min: McTominay is booked for climbing all over Aribo’s back.
82 min: Ronaldo suddenly springs to life, romping down the inside-right channel with a view to taking a whack the minute he reaches the Saints box. But Kotchap strides across and eases him off the ball before shepherding it out for a goal kick. What a prospect!
80 min: Casemiro comes on to make his Manchester United debut. He replaces Elanga, as Erik ten Hag looks to hold onto what he’s got.
Updated
78 min: Ronaldo is back up and about, but not looking particularly happy. Then again, he wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine while sitting on the bench either.
77 min: Adam Armstrong has given Dalot plenty to think about down the left wing today, but his race is run. On comes Mara in his stead.
76 min: Ronaldo goes down feeling his right knee. On comes the trainer.
74 min: Bazunu launches long. Adams is brought to a thundering halt by Martinez, but the ball breaks to Stuart Armstrong, whose shot is blocked in equally unceremonious style by McTominay. United the dogs of war right now. No quarter given.
72 min: Malacia clumsily bundles Walker-Peters to the floor near the right-hand corner flag. From the pseudo-corner, the ball’s worked to the other flank, where Adam Armstrong whips in a cross that bashes into Varane’s shoulder. Nobody claims for a penalty, which is just as well, because this time it absolutely wasn’t one.
71 min: Adams works hard down the right and enters the United box, only for Martinez to block him in the no-nonsense style. The away fans enjoyed that, and sing a paean to Argentina.
69 min: McTominay barges his way down the middle, the ball breaking to Ronaldo, just inside the Saints box. For a nanosecond, St Mary’s waits for the net to ripple, but Djenepo times a strong tackle perfectly and sets his team off on the counter. Nothing comes of the break, but what a block!
68 min: Ronaldo gets a run-out! He replaces Sancho.
Updated
66 min: Adam Armstrong diddles Dalot down the left and stands one up for Aribo, who should be scoring with his header from six yards. But De Gea flings himself in the way, and denies him with a stunning reflex save. Aribo should have equalised, but take nothing away from that parry. The rebound is headed over the bar by Walker-Peters.
Updated
64 min: Stuart Armstrong comes on for Elyounoussi.
Updated
62 min: Tell you what, McTominay is a lucky chappie. A high ball clanked off Adams and onto his left forearm, which was extended horizontally. Proximity has probably saved him; the two players were right next to each other. You can probably make a case both ways, if you’re so inclined.
60 min: The VAR check is complete, and Saints aren’t getting their penalty. With Saints still pressing, we haven’t seen a rerun yet.
59 min: Dalot’s poor pass out from the back leads to a Saints throw, deep in United territory on the left. Salisu flings it into the mixer. The ball pinballs around, then Adams loudly claims for a handball against McTominay. The referee’s not interested, but as play goes on, VAR will take a check.
58 min: A good response by Saints, as Ward-Prowse snaffles possession in the centre circle, then sends Djenepo off down the left. He lays off for Armstrong, who wins a corner. Ward-Prowse’s delivery is half cleared by McTominay. Ward-Prowse tries again, and Adams hooks high over the bar.
56 min: That was one heck of a finish. The combination between Dalot and Fernandes had a vague whiff of Beckham-Scholes about it.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Manchester United (Fernandes 55)
Fernandes missed from close range in the first half, but how he makes up for it here! Sancho rolls the ball down the right for Dalot, who cuts back hard and low for Fernandes, who meets first time and sweeps majestically into the bottom left from the edge of the box!
Updated
53 min: Kotchap is having a fine game, so it’s a worry for Saints that he goes down feeling the back of his leg. But after the doc gives him the once-over, he’s good to continue.
51 min: Ward-Prowse’s delivery isn’t all that. Unlike him. Easy for De Gea. United counter, Elanga bursting into the Saints box down the middle. Elanga cocks his leg to shoot, but is denied by the excellent Kotchap, who makes a perfectly timed block. Bazunu claims.
50 min: Dalot picks up the first booking of the afternoon, deservedly so, as he cynically blocks an in-flight Djenepo on the left touchline. Saints line up on the edge of the United box in anticipation of the resulting free kick.
49 min: Sancho slips Fernandes into space down the left, but Lavia comes across to intercept and stride away with the ball. No fuss. But United come again, McTominay chasing down the right and taking a whack from a tight-ish angle. Bazunu parries out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
Updated
47 min: Malacia has been a little sloppy on a couple of occasions this afternoon, and here he carelessly gifts Elyounoussi possession, just to the right of the United D. Elyounoussi scoops a harmless ball forward into De Gea’s arms.
United get the ball rolling again. No changes. On BT Sport, Paul Scholes thinks this game is tailor-made for Ronaldo, on account of his being not half bad at getting on the end of a cross.
Half-time reading.
HALF TIME: Southampton 0-0 Manchester United
No added time. It’s been kind of low key, and yet both sides could easily have scored one or two. Everyone will fancy their chances in the second half.
45 min: Fernandes blooters the ball into the wall. Uncharacteristically witless. Eriksen gets a go next time, I’ll be bound.
Updated
44 min: Aribo sticks out a leg in the hope of poking the ball away from McTominay, who needs no further invitation to go down. A daft challenge, and a free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the right of the Saints D. Fernandes’ eyes light up.
42 min: United pump long down the left. Rashford battles for the ball, but Kotchap is determined to usher the ball out of play for a goal kick, and he’s strong enough to get the job done without fear or fuss. Kotchap is young, and no doubt will make mistakes, but he looks a player.
41 min: A free kick for Saints out on the left. Ward-Prowse launches it into a crowded box. Martinez senses the danger and heads clear.
39 min: In a tight spot in the United box, Adams spins away from Martinez. He’s got a bit of space on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. But he’s falling backwards and can’t connect properly. His shot-cum-cross dribbles apologetically across the face of the six-yard box, and it’s an easy claim for De Gea. Saints quickly come again, though, and Adams has a better lash from the edge of the box. Over the bar it sails.
37 min: Eriksen, sashaying down the left, sends a dangerous low ball across the face of the Saints goal. Fernandes lunges, six yards out, but can’t connect. Goal kick. Another close shave. Fernandes could easily have had a couple.
36 min: Ward-Prowse looks to have won a corner off Malacia down the right, but the ball spins viciously on the byline and back into De Gea’s arms. The much-missed Hampshire star Shane Warne would have been proud of that one.
34 min: Eriksen, doing his quarterbacking thing, tries to release Elanga with a low diagonal pass towards the right, but misdirects. Bazunu claims the unintended weak shot.
32 min: Armstrong works his way down the left and crosses low for Adams, who spins and shoots weakly at De Gea. After a quiet period, Saints are getting back into this.
31 min: Saints should be leading. Ward-Prowse fizzes the corner in from the right. Aribo flicks on at the near post. The ball drops to Kotchap at the far stick. Six yards out, he should slam home, but he’s falling back, and lifts miles over the bar. What a chance!
Updated
30 min: Walker-Peters is sent scampering down the right by Ward-Prowse. His viciously whipped cross nearly finds Armstrong, six yards out, but Martinez has read the danger and heads behind for a corner.
29 min: Elyounoussi loops a right-wing cross towards Adams at the far stick. Adams beats Varane to a header, which sails harmlessly over the bar and onto the top of the netting. De Gea hasn’t had much work to do.
Updated
27 min: Sancho looks to cause bother down the left but Kotchap comes across to shepherd the ball away from the Saints box, then draw a foul from his man. Assured defending by the 20-year-old German.
26 min: United are seeing more of the ball, and St Mary’s has fallen a little quiet as a result. The away support are making most of what noise there is.
Updated
24 min: That was one hell of a goalmouth scramble. Fernandes should have scored twice, Elanga once. United come forward again in the hope of righting those wrongs, Eriksen winning a corner on the left. But Salisu knocks it clear.
22 min: A Saints corner on the right. Some head tennis. United still not looking totally sure of themselves at the back. Salisu releases the pressure by floating a right-wing cross out for a goal kick.
20 min: The resulting corner leads to a bit of pinball, with Martinez in the thick of it, before Bazunu claims.
19 min: How on earth have Manchester United not scored here? Dalot crosses from the right. Fernandes heads goalwards from six yards. Walker-Peters blocks. The ball squirts to Elanga, whose close-range piledriver from the right is sensationally parried by Bazunu. The ball breaks back to Fernandes, who tries to force home … only for Walker-Peters to make another brave block, right in the mush! Eriksen has one last bash, but a combination of Kotchap and Bazunu denies him. Just a corner! Wow. What staunch defence by the Saints!
Updated
17 min: Eriksen rakes a diagonal pass towards Elanga on the right. Elanga can’t get past Djenepo, and his attempt to locate Sancho on the opposite flank comes to nought.
15 min: Ward-Prowse works the ball well down the right before swinging in a dangerous cross. Varane anticipates well and heads clear under pressure from Adams and Armstrong.
13 min: This game has a nice, open, end-to-end feel to it. Elyounoussi has a shot blocked. Dalot enters the Saints box from the right but can’t find anyone with his cross. Armstrong heads weakly at De Gea. The sun shines brightly.
11 min: St Mary’s rises to remember the late David Armstrong with the warmest of ovations.
Updated
9 min: Malacia, attempting to pass out from the back, gifts the ball to Aribo on the right-hand corner of the United box. Aribo tries to make space for a shot, but Varane blocks his effort, which rebounds back off the Saints man and out for a goal kick.
7 min: Fernandes spots Bazunu miles off his line and attempts to Beckham one in from the centre circle. He doesn’t catch it properly and it’s a calm claim for the keeper.
6 min: Armstrong spins away from Malacia magnificently, but then ships possession with absurd ease. United counter, Ferdinand hoping to find Elanga in acres on the left. Kotchap puts an end to those notions with a well-read interception.
5 min: United look in the mood to go long as well. No wonder, after the success they enjoyed against Liverpool. Varane sends a booming pass down the inside-right channel. Sancho can’t get there ahead of Bazunu, who races out of his area to head clear.
3 min: United fling a few men upfield. Eriksen slips Dalot into space on the wing, but the full back can’t beat the first man with his cross. “Both teams do things with style - winning or losing,” writes Yash Gupta. “On that note here’s to a 3-3 draw with hideous defending all over the shop from both teams.”
2 min: Saints win a throw deep in United territory down the right. Salisu launches it long. McTominay half clears, then Aribo floats a cross that De Gea claims with ease.
Saints get the ball rolling and immediately pump it long down the inside-right channel. Events at Brentford a fortnight ago have been noted.
The teams are out! Saints do their best to make Erik ten Hag feel at home by cosplaying as Ajax. One big thick red stripe down the middle, a bizarro take on the Kevin Keegan years. United wear their third-choice Stabilo Boss lime green. We’ll be off in a minute.
Updated
In lieu of more players following Casemiro through the Old Trafford in-door …
Ralph Hasenhuttl talks to BT. “It is always important at the beginning of the season to get a good result as soon as possible. But we know how long the road ahead is, and we have to keep on going. Our defence in the last game was very young, but they had a very good game.”
In lieu of a matchday programme to flick through …
Erik ten Hag explains his team selection to BT Sport, and it won’t be music to Cristiano Ronaldo’s ears. “We have a squad that is quite competitive, so it is always a difficult decision, but we had a good performance on Monday, so you stick to it. We have to give Casemiro the time to adapt to England and Manchester United. As a person, you have considerations, but as a manager you have to make decisions. The team is always most important. You make a decision to advantage the team, you have to be clear, you have to be honest. We had to deal with mentality. We have the players to manage the game. In Elanga, Rashford and Sancho, you have a lot of speed up front. We have to have a clever strategy. This will be more like the Brentford game.”
Updated
Both managers have hit upon a winning formula, and when it ain’t broke … Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl makes just one change to his starting XI. Che Adams, who came on and turned the match at Leicester, replaces Sekou Mara. Romain Perraud starts on the bench after returning from a groin injury. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag names the same side that put Liverpool to the sword. Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire remain benched, alongside new boy Casemiro. Anthony Martial is injured.
Updated
The teams
Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Kotchap, Salisu, Djenepo, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Aribo, Elyounoussi, Adam Armstrong, Adams.
Subs: McCarthy, Lyanco, Romeu, Perraud, Stuart Armstrong, Mara, Diallo, Bednarek, Valery.
Manchester United: de Gea, Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia, McTominay, Eriksen, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Elanga, Rashford.
Subs: Casemiro, Maguire, Ronaldo, Fred, Heaton, Shaw, Wan-Bissaka, van de Beek, Garnacho.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
Manchester United are back, baby! Monday night’s comprehensive victory at Old Trafford over Liverpool, 2-1 seriously flattering the visitors, felt epochal. The Erik ten Hag era starts now. But they could do with consecutive wins, something they haven’t achieved in the Premier League since February. They’re also currently on a run of seven straight defeats away from home, their worst sequence on their travels since 1936. How happy they’ll be to rock up at St Mary’s, where they haven’t lost since James Beattie scored a late winner in 2003!
However, Southampton are also back, baby! Ralph Hasenhuttl’s coat appeared to be hanging from an extremely shoogly peg a fortnight ago, when they followed up their opening-day 4-1 thrashing at Spurs by going two down at home to Leeds. But Saints rallied to salvage a 2-2 draw, then came back from behind to win impressively at Leicester last week. Having since won 3-0 at Cambridge in the League Cup, confidence is rising and the heat on Hasenhuttl is low.
Both fixtures between these teams ended in a 1-1 draw last season. Before that … but let’s not bring up that 9-0 again. Can United make it two wins in a row for the first time in seven months? Or will Saints triumph over the club they beat in the 1976 FA Cup final for the first time since January 2016, when Charlie Austin shocked Old Trafford? We’ll find out soon enough. Kick off is at 12.30pm. It’s on!
