Manchester United v Southampton Review
Manchester United were coming off two draws meaning they have collected two of a possible six points in their previous two encounters. It was a game that United would have pencilled in as a three pointer.
United were without their captain Valencia, with Pogba captaining in the side Valencia’s absence. David de Gea made a trademark save early in the piece. Shortly after, United striker Lukaku was substituted off in the fourteenth minute through injury; he was involved in a sickening clash with Southampton midfielder Ward-Prowse. The stretcher was called on, which held up play. Rashford was the man who was substituted on. The ‘Special One’ started Martial and Rashford on the bench, which shows how much depth that there is in the United squad. United butchered the incursions that they made into the Southampton eighteen yard box. Unfortunately for United, there was no end product.
The Second Half was much of the same with both sides finding it difficult to find pockets of space and not receiving the ball in the right channels. United played some descent football, without making an impact where it mattered; in the final third. United had an impressive fifteen shots, however only three of the shots were on target; that stat is symptomatic of United’s predicament; they have had an unremarkable three draws in a row.
Both sides had three shots on target each, with no one hitting the back of the net. United’s depth will be tested in the next few weeks, should Lukaku and Ibrahimovic be out through injury. They have also been without Valencia for three games already; it is no coincidence that they have drawn three games in a row, without their leader. United have fallen to third place on the ladder, with their patchy form finally correlating with a drop in their ladder position.