Manchester United was desperate to win against Southampton at St. Mary’s. Erik ten Hag dropped Garnacho for Amad. The decision could be due to footballing reasons or it could be the consequences of liking Cristiano Ronaldo’s post where he slagged Erik ten Hag. No matter what the reason was, Garnacho was on the bench and Amad started the game.
For Southampton, this was a golden opportunity to get their season started. Russell Martin wanted three points from this game. Initially, it looked like his team could do the unthinkable. But, as the game went on, it seemed, Manchester United would get their season started.
Southampton 0-3 Man United: As it happened
The game started off on a positive note for Southampton. They recovered possession and press from the front causing trouble to United’s backline. Manchester United were in tatters. And soon, Southampton got a penalty. Dalot fouled Dibling at the edge of the box. And, the referee awarded Saints a penalty. However, Onana saved the penalty from Archer.
That was the turning point of the game. From there on, Manchester United kept pressing Southampton and created some great chances. Zirkzee missed a chance initially. However, Matthijs de Ligt scored giving United the lead in the 35th minute of the game. Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes provided an amazing delivery for De Light.
Soon after the opener, Rashford curls one from the edge of the box to double the advantage for the Red Devils. Manchester United was controlling the game from there. They were creating massive chances and Aaron Ramsdale had to save quite a few of them. Otherwise, things could have been worse for the Saints before the half-time.
In the second half, Manchester United kept control of the game and didn’t let Southampton get a sniff at their goal. Andre Onana had a relatively quiet time in front of the goal. United got some good chances as well but they failed to convert them. In the 79th minute of the game, Jack Stephens made a rash challenge on Garnacho and he was sent off.
Towards the dying minutes of the game, Mainoo set up Zirkzee wonderfully but he missed. It was the second easy chance that he missed in this game. In the 96th minute of the game, Alejandro Garnacho clinically finished the chance that Dalot created and Manchester United got all three points. Erik ten Hag will be happy to keep a clean sheet as well.