Match Report: Manchester United 1-1 Southampton

It was another day of frustration and disappointment for Manchester United fans, who watched their side register a second consecutive 1-1 draw in the Premier League, this time against Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Southampton.

How did United set up?

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The only change to the starting lineup came in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo on Saturday afternoon, with Edison Cavani absent from the matchday squad entirely. Prior to the game, speaking to MUTV, Ralf Rangnick said that “Edi had to pull out of training last night, he has groin problems, he had treatment the whole night and whole morning but in the end he said he’s just not available”.

Those who have shown promise in recent games retained their place, including the likes of Diogo Dalot and Jadon Sancho. Paul Pogba started his third consecutive game since returning from injury, with Harry Maguire once again sporting the armband, despite hefty calls from fans for Victor Lindelöf to come into the side.

United’s interim boss stuck with the 4-3-3 once more.

Here was the starting lineup and substitutes:

Starting XI: David De Gea (GK), Diogo Dalot (RB), Raphael Varane (CB), Harry Maguire (CB), Luke Shaw (LB), Scott McTominay (CDM), Pogba (CM), Bruno Fernandes (CM) Marcus Rashford (RW), Jadon Sancho (LW), Cristiano Ronaldo (ST).

Subs: Dean Henderson, Phil Jones, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelöf, Alex Telles, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Anthony Elanga, Hannibal Mejbri.

How it went down

First half

As was the case against Middlesbrough and Burnley, United started in a lively fashion. Sancho was finding space on multiple occasions down the left flank, almost managing to tee up Ronaldo inside the area, had it not been for Oriol Romeu’s interception. Just moments after, Sancho did manage to play in his Portuguese teammate, who successfully rounded the keeper after latching onto the through ball, but the effort on goal lacked conviction and was cleared inside the area.

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Pogba and Fernandes looked sharp when feeding the forwards for the opening third of the game, and it was in the 21^st minute when it came to fruition. Fernandes’ pass released Rashford beyond the Southampton defence, and the Englishman managed to drive a ball into the area, finding Sancho at the back post who tapped home to give his side the lead.

That was about as good as it got from the home team, who failed to muster up anything special as the first half played out. Frustrations were optimised when McTominay was booked in the 31^st minute, following a few petty challenges in a short space of time.

Kyle Walker-Peters played a delightful ball across the face of goal, but none of his forwards could make contact to grab an equaliser. De Gea was forced into making a relatively comfortable save in the 40^th minute of play when Stuart Armstrong registered a rather tame volley inside the box.

Pogba did manage to find the net in added time, but it was swiftly ruled out for offside, Ronaldo being the perpetrator.

Second half

Having squandered a 1-0 halftime lead in the previous two matches, fans and pundits alike were hoping to see a mentality shift from the players in the second half against Southampton; however, it was the same old story for the Old Trafford faithful when Che Adams slotted home in the 47^th minute after a superb team move.

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The away team maintained their momentum for the period of play that followed, with Armstrong and Borja both unleashing efforts in dangerous areas.

Maguire looked to poke his team back into the lead after a 57th-minute free-kick, but the captain failed to generate enough power to trouble Fraser Forster. Tension was building, with Fernandes perhaps lucky to escape punishment after seemingly swinging an arm towards James Ward-Prowse.

Armstrong left his manager with his head in his hands after blazing an effort over the bar shortly after the hour mark, with the East Stand supporters sighing a huge sigh of relief. Ronaldo nodded home from a freekick, but it was again quite evident he was offside in the 72^nd minute.

The game then became scrappy, with Southampton looking happy to take a point. Elanga and Lingard were thrown on in the final fifteen as Rangnick switched to a 4-2-4, but the changes had little effect on the game. United’s final chance came from a Maguire header in the 93^rd minute, but Forster parried away the effort to keep the game at 1-1.

Final score: Manchester United 1-1 Southampton (Sancho, 21’) (Adams, 47’)

Man of the match

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Similar to the game against Burnley, there were many good first-half performances that faded away in the second half. Pogba completed the most final third passes on the pitch in the first half (8), with all 5 of his attempted long balls a success against the Saints.

But also similar to the game against Burnley, it was Sancho who inspired fans the most.

With 1 goal scored and 1 big chance created across the ninety minutes, he is an obvious candidate in what was a very underwhelming draw. Also, the former Dortmund man completed 11 of his 13 passes in the final third of the pitch, as well as 2 of his 3 long passes, indicative that he was tidy in possession as his team looked to create opportunities to score.

For much of the game, Southampton were the better team, so Sancho’s 7 ball recoveries reflect well on the defensive shift that he put in today.

Performances against Middlesbrough and Burley were encouraging, and scoring his first Premier League goal at Old Trafford is another development for Sancho’s United career that fans can be happy with.

The bigger picture

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When Adams scored on the 47^th minute, it was all too familiar for Reds fans, with yet another dismal second-half showing on display. The bipolar nature of this United side is there for all to see having watched the last three games. The team start games looking lively and vibrant, but are coming out for the second half looking sluggish and mundane, perhaps reflective of a mentality problem.

Rangnick watched his team rack up 8 shots on target and 3 clear-cut opportunities against the Saints, but again only the 1 goal was scored. Finishing chances is a huge issue that has hindered the team a lot during the Rangnick era.

With the highest scorer of all-time leading the line, it is difficult to justify the missed chances. It is now six games without a goal for Ronaldo, the longest drought on a personal level since 2009. The Portuguese has always been lauded for his impeccable work ethic and attitude, but even he is looking disinterested.

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Maguire, the world’s most expensive defender and captain of Manchester United, looks absolutely diminished of any confidence, or even quality for that matter. Rashford can’t go five minutes without ballooning a ball into the opposition’s midriff, and McTominay- for all his passion and heart- simply cannot play holding midfield for a side fighting for 4^th place, but in fairness to Rangnick and McTominay himself, the club have failed to provide in the January transfer window, with the Scotsman being the better of the options at hand.

Speaking of the not-so-sacred 4^th place, the result means United stay 5^th, level on points with West Ham, but have now lost the advantage of having a game in hand on the Hammers. Arsenal (5^th) and Spurs (6^th) can both overtake United if they are to win their games in hand (Arsenal have two and Spurs have three). Even Wolves in 7^th spot can match United should they win their games in hand.

Rangnick will be hoping to shift the team’s mentality ahead of the Brighton game on Tuesday night, with chances to contest for the top four running out as the season endures.