Manchester United beat Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
In a dramatic first half, Southampton had a good chance to take the lead after winning a penalty on the 30th minute.
Tyler Dibling got the better of Diogo Dalot at left back before being sent off in the box, leaving Cameron Archer with the chance to open the scoring.
But Andre Onana was equal to his effort and minutes later he was celebrating as Manchester United took the lead.
Matthijs de Ligt headed in Bruno Fernandes’ cross on the edge of the box, after Southampton failed to cover the Red Devils captain, and paid the price during the event.
It was 2-0 shortly before the break, this time Marcus Rashford getting his first goal since March.
To open his account for 2024/25 🔓
❤️ @MarcusRashford #MUFC || #MAN pic.twitter.com/T4nH2Hjr9v
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 14, 2024
The England international turned the ball to the right after taking it from a short corner and tried his luck, sending the ball past Aaron Ramsdale.
Southampton captain Jack Stephens was sent off for challenging Alejandro Garnacho, criticizing his side’s late defeat.
Garnacho added a third in the final seconds to heap further misery on their opponents and mark a fine return to form for the visitors following their defeat to Brighton before the international break.
How it happened
Changes to Manchester United’s starting XI meant it took 10 minutes or so for the visitors to find any sort of rhythm in their game.
And the first big chance of the game came from Southampton, with Dibling breaking into the box and curling a left-footed shot towards goal, forcing a fine save from Onana.
But on the other hand, Ramsdale was forced to save Joshua Zirkzee.
Aaron Ramsdale has now conceded more Premier League goals against Manchester United than any other side he has faced during his career.
He has failed to keep a clean sheet in his last nine games against the Red Devils. 😤 pic.twitter.com/zJPORRowgj
– Squawka (@Squawka) September 14, 2024
The Dutch striker got on the end of a ridiculous cross into the box by Christian Eriksen and made the former Arsenal stopper dive to his right to block the ball.
Many might have expected Manchester United to dominate the game, but Russell Martin’s possession philosophy meant that the Saints were content to be patient with the ball and pass the occasional pass from Erik ten Hag’s men.
There was another big chance for the Saints on 23 minutes, with right-back Yukinari Sugawara using his pace to find space in the box and send a curling effort, similar to Dibling’s, towards the far corner, but this time it was blocked by De. Ligt.
Lesley Ugochukwu had another chance for the home side, hitting a corner kick in an effort he should have done better.
Southampton looked set to make it 1-0 when Dibling won a penalty for his team, beating Dalot at speed and being tackled in the box.
Archer was the one to get up but had to wait a few minutes to take his spack-kick and failed his attempt, leaving Onana to make a comfortable save to keep the scores level.
Nothing creates drama like the Premier League 🤯#MAN pic.twitter.com/G30t40qiVO
– Premier League (@premierleague) September 14, 2024
And as often happens in the Premier League, the Saints were punished almost immediately.
Fernandes had time to pick out a curling cross on the edge of the box which was met by De Ligt, giving his side the lead and scoring his first goal for the Red Devils.
Suddenly, it was 2-0.
From another short corner, Man Utd were given space, this time by Rashford, who turned the ball onto his right foot before driving an effort past several bodies and into the far corner, although Ramsdale got a hand on the ball.
A flurry of goals meant United went into the break in high spirits, despite not being at their best in the first half.
Southampton looked less confident in the second half and hesitated to take the lead following the two goals they conceded earlier.
Manchester United are content to stay and protect their lead and still look dangerous when they are on the ball.
It was a bad story, the referee issued a lot of yellow cards and one red card for captain Jack Stephens.
Southampton went down to 10 as Jack Stephens saw red for a big challenge on Garna 🟥#MUFC || #MAN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 14, 2024
The Southampton No.5 got on top of Alejandro Garnacho and was sent off with 10 minutes remaining, ensuring his side had no chance of getting back into the game.
There was the debut of Manuel Ugarte, who joined Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
He had an easy trip due to a red card, working in midfield alongside Kobbie Mainnoo as Ten Hag’s side climbed to three points in the end.
Garnacho put the icing on the cake with United’s third with the last kick of the game, making a smart run into the box and hitting it first time into the net.
Southampton will look back on the game with a lot of frustration after missing their penalty in the first half.
They got plenty of other opportunities too but ended up being punished for not taking them.
It means they remain 0 points clear in the Premier League, while Man Utd got their second win of the campaign.
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