Manchester United 1, Southampton 1
United had a serious case of deja vu after Jadon Sancho’s opening goal was cancelled out by Che Adams and the Reds had two goals ruled out for offside.
Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo were the disappointed players this time as United once again failed to build on a positive first half and lost cohesion in the second half after the Saints equalised right after the restart and the Reds even avoided a potential penalty right at the end after a rash challenge on Armando Broja by Harry Maguire.
A second consecutive Premier League draw means that wasteful United missed out on the chance to retake fourth spot tonight and lie in 5th place behind West Ham on goal difference while clubs below them have games in hand.
Saints boss Ralf Hasenhuttl praised his side who have now only lost once in ten games, saying:
“It was enjoyable to watch. We have shown that we can play.
“It was dangerous in the first half, in the last game against Tottenham there was not so much pressure on the ball.
“We tried to be brave in the first half, the second half was much better.
“We scored a beautiful goal.
“We had chances to win but I don’t want to be too critical today as we had less time to recover.”
United boss Ralf Rangnick said that the Reds were creating chances but had to become tougher and defend more as a team to stop conceding goals.
He said: “I was disappointed – we had to be compact and defend as a team.
He admitted that the make-up of the team and a lack of pre-season with him has been a factor in the results that have seen his United side leak goals with damaging results in recent weeks – this was something which was hinted at by Hasenhuttl who knew that the Reds were not great when they lost the ball.
He said: “I think our team has a lot of technical players and offensive players. It’s difficult for them to stay compact.
“We had xG (expected goals) of 2.57 to 0.6. It’s not a question of being unable to create the chances, it a question of how effective we are.
“It’s a question with the players that we have of how we can be more compact, more nasty.
“The goal we conceded was too easy. It wasn’t difficult for Burnley and Middlesbrough to score.
“We were counter attacked when we were 1-0 up. It’s a question of tactical discipline.
“We should have been 2 or 3-0 up but we gave away too many chances.”
“I think it’s a question of what kind of players we have, we can only make up for that as a team.
“It’s about being more aggressive and taking the last step.
“Without having a pre-season it’s difficult.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe lack of goals was compounded by the absence of Edinson Cavani who ruled himself out of the game this morning with a thigh injury but Rangnick defended Cristiano Ronaldo whose goal drought now stands at six games without a goal going back to last year.
Rangnick said: “I thought after training Edinson would be available for today’s game. I spoke to him today and he said the pain is too big.
He added: ”I wished Ronaldo to have scored, he will have wished to score, and the fans too. He had a ball cleared off the line.
“As a team we create chances but if we can’t keep a clean sheet when we are 1-0 or 2-0 up then we must score another goal.”
United have only scored more than once three times in Ralf Rangnick’s thirteen games in charge of the Reds so far, and there were boos at full time from sections of the home crowd as United came off at full time – which contrasted with the songs from the away end as the Southampton fans put last season’s record equalling humbling behind them.
The arrival of one of Reds boss Ralf Rangnick’s former protege’s – Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl worked with Rangnick at RB Leipzig between 2016 and 2018 – had promised a fascinating contest.
Southampton played in a style that would be instantly familiar to Rangnick – a style that he tried to implement in his early stint at Old Trafford but had to ditch after finding the United squad incapable of adopting that high pressing philosophy midway through the season.
In February last year the Saints lost 9-0 at Old Trafford but United would need a big slice of luck to repeat that scoreline after Hasenhuttl’s side produced a big comeback to beat Spurs on Wednesday – they remained unchanged from that stunning result.
For the Reds, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting line-up after missing out at Burnley as Edinson Cavani was out with a groin injury in United’s only change from the draw at Turf Moor against Burnley n Tuesday.
Hannibal Mejbri was named on the bench after his African Cup of Nations campaign with Tunisia.
Both sides showed off an early high pressing intent but United had a clearest opportunity to score after seven minutes when Ronaldo was put clean through by Jadon Sancho.
Fraser Forster was rounded by the Portuguese whose goalbound shot was cleared off the line by a retreating Romain Perraud.
Sancho was denied after 9 minutes by Forster after he pounced on a loose ball after some Saints pressure and broke on the Southampton defence.
Sancho eventually got the goal he deserved after 21 minutes when Marcus Rashford broke free down the right flank and put in a great cross which the England man clipped home from close range despite an attempt to intercept by Kyle Walker-Peters.
It was Sancho’s fourth goal of the season and his second in his last three games after netting just twice in his first 23 games in all competitions for the Reds.
Rather than doubling their advantage, though, United started to rest on their laurels as Southampton upped their pressing game while the Reds became more passive.
Saints went close to an equaliser when Stuart Armstrong shot wide of the near post while Walker-Peters’ cross just just too far in front of Che Adams.
Oriol Romeu rather wasted the loose ball from a James Ward-Prowse corner, lashing it wide from outside of the box, Armstrong had a deflected effort, while De Gea was finally forced into a save just before half time from Perraud’s shot.
Pogba thought he had doubled the advantage in first half injury time but Luke Shaw was tardy in sending his forward pass to Ronaldo who was clearly offside before he squared the ball to the Frenchman to score.
Jack Stephens replaced Jan Bednarek at the break for Southampton and the visitors were soon level after slack defending allowed Che Adams to fire in a shot that went in off the far post.
It was Adams’ eighth of the season and his second strike in as many games for the Saints.
Armando Broja was saw his shot saved by De Gea and suddenly United were back under the cosh again with Fernandes blocking a Ward-Prowse corner.
Walker-Peters handled the ball and from Shaw’s free kick Forster booted away a chance by Harry Maguire as he tried to stab home the loose ball.
Forster also saved from Ronaldo whose shot was at an easy height for the Saints goalkeeper while Pogba mistimed an attempt at an overhead kick from Bruno Fernandes’ right wing cross.
As in recent United games any sense of order from the Reds was ebbing away and Stuart Armstrong blazed over when he had time to at least get his shot on target.
Tino Livramento was brought on for Elyounoussi after 71 minutes in Hasenhuttl’s second change of the afternoon.
Ronaldo had a goal chalked off for offside from a free kick after Sancho flicked on a Fernandes free kick to the Portuguese who headed home only for his efforts to be ruled out for blatant offside by half a dozen Reds players.
Anthony Elanga replaced Scott McTominay with 15 minutes to go as Ralf Rangnick’s first change of the afternoon.
And it wasn’t long before the restless Stratford End began exhorting their familiar refrain “Attack, Attack, Attack” as Rashford pulled a shot wide.
Jesse Lingard was thrown on with 8 minutes to go, coming on for Rashford but the game only became more fractious as Southampton battled for everything.
Broja turned Maguire and looked to be clean through before the United captain pushed him over in the area and trod on his leg in the follow through with 2 minutes to go as he desperately tried to atone for his error.
Maguire had a header from Shaw’s free kick collected by Forster in added time as United went for the win but the Saints stood firm.
GOALS. – Manchester United 1, Southampton 1
Man Utd 1, Southampton 0: 21. Jadon Sancho converted Marcus Rashford’s cross from close range after Kyle Walker-Peters failed to cut it out.
Man Utd 1, Southampton 1: 48. Che Adams’ precise strike went in off the back post after Mohamed Elyounoussi picked him out and the United defence stood off him.
MATCH STATS – Manchester United 1, Southampton 1
Man Utd: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Pogba, McTominay (Elanga 75), Rashford (Lingard 82), Fernandes, Sancho, Ronaldo
Man Utd subs not used: Henderson, Lindelof, Jones, Mata, Telles, Wan-Bissaka, Mejbri
Booked: Rashford 16 (foul on Romain Perraud); McTominay 31 (foul on Mohamed Elyounoussi), Pogba 85 (Shove on Jack Stephens); Lingard 90 (dissent)
Goal: Sancho 21
Southampton: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek (Stephens 46), Salisu, Perraud, S Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu (Diallo 90+5), Elyounoussi (Livramento 71), Broja, Adams
Southampton Subs not used: Caballero, Long, A Armstrong, Djenepo, Smallbone, Valery
Goal: Adams 48
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Attendance: 73,084