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Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo suffered another blow in their pursuit of Champions League football next season after being held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton at Old Trafford.
Ralf Rangnick's men were determined to bounce back from their draw against Burnley in their last outing, but ended up playing out the same scoreline on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who came on as a second-half substitute against Burnley, was restored to the starting line-up. However, the Portuguese forward endured a frustrating afternoon as he struggled to influence the game.
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The Red Devils did start the game on the front foot and took the lead in the 21st minute. Jadon Sancho was on the scoresheet yet again as the summer-recruit netted hs first Premier League goal at Old Trafford. Bruno Fernandes played an excellent ball over the top for Marcus Rashford, who raced into the visitors' penalty box before squaring it to Sancho.
Despite Kyle Walker-Peters' sliding effort to try and intercept, the ball made its way to Sancho. The Manchester United man's effort took a slight deflection off Walker-Peters and crashed into the back of the net as the home crowd erupted.
Although the hosts enjoyed a rollicking start, Southampton grew in confidence as the game progressed. Ralph Hasenhuttl's men knocked on the door and were eventually rewarded shortly after the half-time interval.
Che Adams slipped in behind the Manchester United defense after a pass from Mohamed Elyounoussi and restored parity for the visitors. The low shot from the Southampton striker with went in off the upright and left David De Gea with no chance of keeping it out.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a golden opportunity to give Manchester United an early lead
Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had failed to find the back of the net despite rounding the goalkeeper as Romain Perraud came across to block his tame attempt. Manchester United also had a goal disallowed before half-time due to offside.
Buoyed by the equalizer, Southampton continued to ask questions in the second half. Both Armando Broja and Stuart Armstrong conjured attempts to try and seal the win.
Later, Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net with a header but his frustration was clearly visible when he looked up and saw the offside flag up against him. Harry Maguire was denied the opportunity to grab the winning goal in second-half stoppage time after an excellent save from Southampton shot-stopper Fraser Foster.
The result now means Manchester United continue to sit outside the top-four in the Premier League in fifth place. On a rainy afternoon when Ronaldo failed to deliver the fireworks, Twitter was filled with reactions from across the globe.
On that note, here are the best reactions from the game:
