Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho scored to give Erik ten Hag a much-needed win at St Mary’s, but it wouldn’t be Manchester United if there wasn’t a scare somewhere along the way.
Andre Onana had to save Cameron Archer’s penalty in the first half, and United’s early season woes threatened to spiral into a full-blown crisis on the south coast against newly promoted Saints. They have now lost their opening four Premier League games, with captain Jack Stephens sent off for a dreadful foul on substitute Garnacho towards the end.
United’s start had been two defeats in three games and another one here bordered on the unthinkable. The club had not lost three out of their first four games since 1986, leading to the sacking of Ron Atkinson and the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Fortunately, Onana’s save from Archer was the wake-up call they needed to up their game and take a 2-0 lead inside four minutes thanks to De Ligt’s first goal for the club since joining from Bayern Munich and Rashford’s first in six months since their FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool at Old Trafford.
With this result, Ten Hag is less likely to get irritated. His next Premier League match is against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, where a 4-0 defeat last season left his job hanging by a thread.
Marcus Rashford (left) and Matthijs de Ligt scored the goals as Man United beat Southampton
De Ligt headed United into the lead in the 35th minute of the Premier League match
Marcus Rashford (left) curled in the second from distance to double the lead before half-time
Rashford (right) celebrates his first goal for Manchester United in 189 days
The doubts have resurfaced earlier than expected this season, but ultimately this was a good day ahead of Barnsley’s visit to Old Trafford for the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
The big question before the game was whether Ten Hag would retain faith in Casemiro after his error-ridden performance against Liverpool last time out, or field the new £50.5m Manuel Ugarte. The answer was neither. Both started on the bench alongside a third defensive midfielder, Toby Collyer, with Christian Eriksen partnering Kobbie Mainoo in the middle.
It was a bold move from the United manager, but one that Eriksen felt he deserved. “He’s had a good pre-season and he’s performed very well in training, so he deserves a starting place,” said Ten Hag, who also started Amad Diallo on the right in place of Garnacho.
“We have to integrate Manuel into the team. He has only had two sessions, we have to integrate and that takes time. Casmeiro will play, I am convinced of that. We have a selection and we offer many matches.
On paper, this felt like an easy game for United, sandwiched between tricky Premier League games against Liverpool and Palace. Saints had not beaten United in the league in 14 games since 2016 and not at St Mary’s since 2003. They went into this game with a club-record 16 Premier League games without a win, having suffered three straight defeats since returning to the top flight.
Saints manager Russell Martin handed Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu and youngster Tyler Dibling first-team starts in a bid to end the run.
He might have been able to do so, had the match not taken a different turn in a decisive four-minute period at the end of the first half.
Diogo Dalot, still playing on his weaker side at left back in the absence of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, struggled with Dibling throughout the game until the energetic young man got past him again in the 37th minute. Dalot made a clumsy effort to stop him but brought Dibling down and referee Stuart Atwell immediately pointed to the spot.
Onana saved a couple of penalties in his first year at United and the Cameroonian was once again a major asset, diving to his right to stop Archer’s effort and then comfortably keeping out the striker’s header.
United punished Saints almost immediately. After Aaron Ramsdale had curled Joshua Zirkzee’s low shot around the post in the 35th minute, Eriksen played a corner short to Bruno Fernandes. The United captain curled a cross towards the edge of the box, where Stephens caught a number of United players offside, including De Ligt who sent a downward header inside the far post.
It was all the more fun for De Ligt, who came under fire for his performances for the Dutch national team during the international period and was substituted at half-time against Germany on Tuesday.
United almost had a second chance when Ramsdale saved a Rashford pass from close range after exchanging a pass with Amad, but the visitors – and Rashford – didn’t have to wait long.
Eriksen took the corner again and play moved to the left, where Amad served Rashford. He cut inside Archer and curled a shot inside Ramsdale’s left post, with the keeper partially out of De Ligt’s sight.
Until then, the Saints had dominated the first half hour, with United taking the better chances.
Dibling forced Dalot to run clear and forced Onana into a flying save, but Ugochukwu headed a free-kick just over.
At the other end, Zirkzee could have scored but he was not alert to Eriksen’s clever pass and could not make enough of his long shot to trouble Ramsdale. Noussair Mazraoui tested the keeper with an ambitious volley from 25 yards and Fernandes fired wide from Amad’s pass on the break.
De Ligt came close to his second and United’s third just before half-time, but Ramsdale came out to block and did the same to deny Rashford a goal shortly after the break, before tipping another curling effort from United’s number 10 over the bar.
Ten Hag’s side attacked almost at will and should have increased their lead if they had been a little more clinical. Martin responded by bringing on four substitutes – Adam Lallana, Ross Stewart, Ryan Fraser and Maxwell Cornet – to try and drag Saints back into the game.
It made little difference and Ten Hag was able to bring on Ugarte instead of Eriksen and Casemiro as reserve central defender instead of De Ligt.
The Brazilian had a hand in United’s third goal in injury time, splitting the defence open for Dalot to clear the ball and Garnacho to fire his shot into the roof of the net.
Saints were then reduced to 10 men after Stephens was shown a red card in the 79th minute for a nasty foul on Garnacho on the touchline, hitting the Argentine winger on his right knee.
They are the first team to lose their first four games in three different Premier League seasons. It’s a long way back.
