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Southampton 0- 1 Manchester United
Manchester City and Chelsea roared to comfortable wins against Crystal Palace and Stoke City respectively, but Mourinho's Manchester United laid out a marker to the League showing that they were more than willing to win "ugly" as the phrase goes; the 1-0 win thanks to Romelu Lukaku's calm finish in the first half keeps them level on points with their neighbours.
United squeezed through by the skin of their teeth - Southampton threw everything they had at the United goal, but a combination of poor finishing (Romeu missed an open goal from four yards) and some hardy backs-to-the-wall defending saw the home side's wretched run against the visitors continue. It's now 7 games at St. Marys without a win for the Saints against the Red Devils... this time, they deserved at least a point, though.
#5. Ashley Young's crossing places him atop the pecking order at left fullback, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
Young's impeccable cross from the left was met well by Lukaku - and at the other end Antonio Valencia once again helped prove that no matter how good the center-forward is he still needs good crosses to work his magic.
The winger turned ultimate utility-man has proved his worth time and again, but his defensive performance was not the best (not really his fault, come to think of it) and time and again both Dusan Tadic and Cedric Soares exploited the spaces he left on his wing... as much as United need a good crosser of the ball, they need someone who can defend as a left-back.
Having said that., as it stands Young is probably their best option as an attacking left full-back...Till Luke Shaw finds his brain and reattaches it to his body at least.
Guess that's why Guardiola spent a king's ransom on fullbacks, eh?
#4. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic are finally finding some form; Mario Lemina looks an excellent signing
Nathan Redmond was excellent against arguably the league's best right-back, running Antonio Valencia ragged with his dribbling ability and incisive movement while Dusan Tadic was a nightmare to handle for both Phil Jones and Ashley Young as the Serbian's movement, guile, and passing caused no end of problems for the two left-sided United defenders; neither of whom are helped by the fact that their dominant foot is the right.
It is essential for Southampton that these two maintain their form and find that so-far-elusive final ball when it really counts; both worked themselves into fine open spaces against United but their final delivery and/or decision-making let them down and if they can fix that Pelligrino will have the Saints purring.
Mario Lemina, though, was immense in the middle of the field for Southampton and ran the show at St. Mary's... his calm presence, driving runs and wide passing range enabling the home side to strangulate United in a way that they are usually accustomed to doing unto others themselves. Anyone who dominates a midfield that has Nemanja Matic on the other side deserves all the plaudits they can get.
€20 million appears quite the bargain at the moment.... are you taking notes, Liverpool?
#3. Romelu Lukaku is the difference maker for Manchester United
Blimey, what a start, eh?
This may be stating the most obvious of facts but there's a reason some facts are obvious - it's the truth.
Manchester United suffered from a lack of ruthlessness up top last season and this was exactly the kind of match that they'd have walked away from with just a draw. Lukaku's finishing still brings nervous jitters - he should have put the header away on the first go, shouldn't he? - but his pure calm in front of goal; to be able to put away the rebound is still a skill that requires a calm mind to pull off (just ask Romeu); will prove to be the difference-maker as the season progresses.
Oh, and can we all move on from the Lukaku song controversy?
It's just a bit of light-hearted fun and kick me if there aren't bigger, actual, issues out there for Kick It Out and the like to tackle.
P.S. It takes the absence of something to make people value you - if people still don't understand what Paul Pogba's calmness, vision, technique and pure running bring to this United midfield, they are either prejudiced or ignorant.
#2. If Southampton can find a decent goalscorer, they'll push for a top 7 spot
The Saints did just about everything right - especially in that second half - and utterly dominated a far-superior-on-paper United team... pegging them back onto the ropes constantly and not giving up the fight until the final whistle.
But for all their possession, and their control, and their dominance, the 1-0 scoreline reflects their greatest failing... the lack of a true goalscorer. As good as Shane Long is, goal-scoring isn't his strongest suit while Manolo Gabbiadini has always been one of the forwards who scores well, but only in irregular bursts.. and Charlie Austin isn't half the player he was before that debilitating injury struck him.
Mauricio Pelligrino worked a miracle at tiny Alaves last year, in La Liga, but the Basque outfit got to the Copa Del Rey final and pushed for a European spot in the league by taking all the chances they created; find someone to do the same at St. Marys and there is no reason why the Saints can't do in England what the tiny Basque outfit did in Spain.
#1. Marouane Fellaini proves once again why his managers love him so
Boy, he was everywhere wasn't he?
The big Belgian was immense in midfield as he stepped up to plug holes in defence, tracked Southampton's midfield runners perfectly, lept forward on the counter to provide some measure of relief to his, passed the ball around simply and with minimal fuss and put in some extremely crucial interceptions.
As ever, he was unbeatable in the air - and cleared a particularly dangerous Oriel Romeu header just in front of the goal line
He has been maligned, trolled, and dismissed contemptuously in the past but there's a reason Jose Mourinho values him so highly - his game is purely dictated by what his manager wants off him and when he pulls it off it can be devastatingly effective.
Today it might have been Young who got the assist, and Lukaku who got the goal... but it was Fellaini who won Manchester United this football match.
P.S. If Anthony Martial had come on, this could very well have become another one of those 4-0s, couldn't it?
