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Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw in their Premier League fixture at St. Mary's Stadium by a resolute Southampton side tonight (August 22). Fred's own goal in the 30th minute gave the hosts an early lead, which was canceled out in the 55th minute by Mason Greenwood.
For the hosts, the result presented them with their first point of the season following a 3-1 loss to Everton last time around. Manchester United, on the other hand, made a high-flying start to their season with a 5-1 win over Leeds United on Matchday 1, but failed to match the attacking intensity from last week's game here.
It was a great display from the home team, who bravely took their chances despite being completely dominated in terms of possession by the visitors. United hit the crossbar and an attempt was cleared from the line in the fifth minute but had to wait until the 55th minute to find the back of the net.
An unfortunate deflection off Fred's foot in the 30th minute handed the Saints an important lead. But they too weren't able to create many goal-scoring chances for the rest of the game.
Overall, it was a well-deserved point for the hosts but a disappointing outcome for the visiting side. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's men failed to make the most of their chances and had to settle for a draw when a win seemed regulatory prior to kick-off.
Here, we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Southampton score with their first shot on target to take a lead
Southampton headed into the game knowing fully well that they would be dominated by Manchester United in terms of possession. From the very first kick here, they chose to conserve their energy and not waste time chasing the ball. Instead, Ralph Hasenhuttl's side tested United's defense from quick and effective counter-attacks.
The Saints survived an early scare from Bruno Fernandes' free-kick, during which the ball had to be cleared off the line. Following that chance, Southampton ensured they were on high alert and did not allow Manchester United players to get into dangerous positions.
Their smart work was complemented by a bit of luck when they launched a quick counter-attack with around half an hour played. Dale Stephens stole the ball from Fernandes and the ball found Che Adams after passing through a couple of Southampton players. He let go a shot from 20 yards out, which took a huge deflection off Fred to find the bottom right corner of the goal.
It was the hosts' first shot on target and provided them with a massive boost 15 minutes before the break.
#4 Manchester United up the tempo in the second half with a quick equaliser
Manchester United came back from behind in 10 Premier League fixtures last season. When the game resumed after the break at Saint Mary's Stadium, it was clear that they were find the back of the net sooner or later.
Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes found space between the Southampton defense with ease after the restart. Anthony Martial and Greenwood also caused all sorts of problems for the hosts with their pace and movement.
Pogba picked up another assist, his fifth of the league campaign so far, as he somehow managed to pass the ball to Greenwood under pressure in the box. The youngster's shot went through the legs of a defender and slipped past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy for the equalizer in the 55th minute.
Manchester United consistently enjoyed good periods of possession in the second half. But they created very few clear-cut chances and rarely threatened McCarthy in the final quarter of the game.
Also See: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season (2020/21)
#3 Southampton's winless streak against Manchester United continues
Southampton might've taken the lead against Manchester United tonight but the visiting side managed to equalize soon after the break. The hosts will be happy with the outcome in which they displayed intensity and great spirit. But tonight's result extended their winless streak against the Premier League giants.
With this stalemate, Southampton have not been able to record a win over Manchester United in their last 12 games across all competitions. Their last win came in the 2015-16 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford. For their last win at home against the Red Devils, we have to go all the way back to 2003.
The streak doesn't seem to be showing any immediate signs of ending either, with the Saints some way off their best.
#2 Manchester United lacked the cutting edge tonight
The Manchester United players were wasteful tonight and struggled to create enough with the ball. Despite enjoying 64% possession, they weren't able to cause a lot of trouble for Southampton. United had just four shots on target and were able to complete only 79% of their passes. Most of their passes were limited to the middle of the park and they weren't able to complete a lot of passes into the final third.
No player except goalkeeper David de Gea completed 90% of their passes. There was a lot of sloppiness in the defensive third as well with Southampton able to launch quick counter-attacks. Towards the end of the game, United also gave the ball away in dangerous areas with de Gea making a couple of good saves late on from Adam Armstrong and James Ward-Prowse.
Jadon Sancho was made to wait for his first start of the campaign and came on from the bench for the second game running, while Raphael Varane was also left on the bench.
#1 Manchester United match Arsenal's 27-game unbeaten run away from home
Manchester United managed to avoid a defeat in their first away game of the season here and extended their unbeaten record in away fixtures in the Premier League to 27 games. They went the entire 2020-21 campaign without a loss in their travels and now find themselves on the verge of making history.
Solksjaer's side have now equalled the longest such unbeaten record in English top-flight history. This was set by 'The Invincibles' between 2003 and 2004, in which Arsenal managed to stay unbeaten for 27 away games.
United will be traveling to the Molineux Stadium next week and might fancy their chances of making history there. Hosts Wolverhampton have lost both their games so far this season and a win there could help the Red Devils get back on track after faltering at St. Mary's.
Also See: Only 4 players have scored a Premier League hat-trick against Manchester United: Where are they now?
