Manchester United were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by 10-man Southampton.
Southampton were able to hold Manchester United despite playing with 10-man in the second half. The Red Devils dominated the majority parts of the game but failed to produce the goods in the final third. Daniel James’ thunderstrike was cancelled out by Jannick Vestergaard’s header in the second half.
The visitors started the game on a high and got the much-deserved lead through their youngster Daniel James in the 10th minute. When the Welsh International was provided with space, he fully exploited it and found the back of the net. There were no chances for both sides until the half-time whistle.
The Saints were on a high ante upon the second half kick-off. They kept banging on the door of David De Gea, who finally collapsed when Jannick Vestergaard scored a header in the 58th minute. Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka produced some good deliveries inside the penalty box, which remained unconverted. Kevin Danso was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 70th minute.
Solskjaer was visibly frustrated with this result, while Ralph Hassenhuttl was jubilant with the comeback.
We shall look at the five talking points as Southampton hold Manchester United 1-1.
#1 Paul Pogba must operate as #10
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is adopting Paul Pogba as a defensive midfielder, but the Frenchman has shown his proficiency in the central attacking midfield position.
There were many instances of Pogba’s geniuses when he plays behind the front three. The 26-year-old made a bursting run from the midfield and passed the ball to Jesse Lingard. The English International failed to produce the revert pass to Pogba once again. Apart from this moment, the Red Devils midfield looked bright in the offensive areas of the pitch.
He also gave away cheap possessions in the midfield department, but Solskjaer is failing to use his strengths. With a spine-tingling eye to pick out passes and score long-rangers, former Juventus midfielder is not getting deployed in the correct position.
When the Red Devils were tearing opponent’s defence last season under Solskjaer, Pogba played as a number 10. This enhanced the overall output of the attackers and the number was getting swelled. Thankfully, the Norwegian has an international break to come away with a strategy.
#2 Midfielders showed nil quality
Southampton and Manchester United were poor in the midfield department. The Saint midfield consisted of Oriel Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while the Red Devils opted for Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay.
When Solskjaer’s side was dominating in the first half, the Saint succumbed under pressure and gave cheap possessions away. Romeu and Hojbjerg were often out of positions, helping Juan Mata’s course to pick out pockets of space behind the defensive line. The Spaniard created more chances than anybody else in the game, but failure to convert in the final third is a huge letdown.
It was the total vice versa in the second half. The hosts were applying pressure on the visitors, whose midfielders gave away cheap possessions on various occasions. This enabled Che Adams and Danny Ings to make runs behind the defence and cause continuous problems. Nemanja Matic, who came on as a substitute in the second half, did not have a good passing record too.
Better things were expected in the middle of the park which failed to produce the much-needed spark.
#3 Daniel James’ ability is top-notch
Daniel James has proved his worth yet again. The Welsh International was always on the foot, waiting for the ball to arrive at him. Besides, he was also able to stretch the backline of the Saints in a spectacular fashion.
In the 10th minute of the game, the forward made a cut from the left-hand-side and released a pile driver from just inside the penalty box. The goalkeeper had no chance of getting a hand to that strike because of the ferocious strike. He kept on dragging the right-back Cedric for fun, although there was a slight problem in the output, which will increase with experience.
When the hosts were with just 10 men in the second half, James produced two world-class deliveries inside the box, but it was not converted by the other forwards. With the proficiency to play through both the wings, James could be next big star for the Red Devils.
#4 Manchester United’s centre-backs fail to suffocate pressure
Manchester United were hoping to cut down their defensive issues after the signing of Harry Maguire. But, the English International is getting dragged out at times, paving way for the opponents to make a run behind the defence.
Danny Ings and Che Adams enjoyed possession with the ball only at a minimum rate, but they tormented the centre-backs when they were given the ball. On the other hand, Ashley Young and Aaron Wan-Bissaka enjoyed a good game and fingers cannot be pointed at the duo for the Red Devils collective shortcoming.
It has been a tough start for the former Leicester City defender, who was also pointed out for the error against Crystal Palace last week. On the other hand, Victor Lindelof is not looking with assurance to aid his partner at times.
Following the equalizer in the 58th minute, Southampton fail to attack and sat back as they were happy with a point. United’s defensive resilience lasted for only 13 minutes in this game.
#5 Marcus Rashford’s form is worrying
Marcus Rashford’s worrying form did not fail to end. The striker had a chance to lead the game in the second half, but failed to convert it when he was in a spectacular position.
In the first half, Daniel James produced an exquisite ball from the left-wing, but the graduate struggled to hit the target from close range. The English International had two glorious chances in both halves of the game. His poor conversion rate spoke volumes again as the keeper Angus Gunn made comfortable saves to parry the ball away.
Since scoring the brace in the opening weekend of the Premier League, the young striker has failed to score in three consecutive games despite being the first-choice striker. Solskjaer will be hoping that Marcus Rashford finishes chances in the coming weeks before the season takes a toll.
