Southampton vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United escaped St. Mary’s Stadium with a 3-2 victory on Sunday after a thrilling Premier League encounter.
Graziano Pelle swept Saints ahead as the home side took complete control of the opening stages, but Anthony Martial pegged them back just before half-time. The Frenchman then seized on a Maya Yoshida error to give the Red Devils the lead and Juan Mata made it three in the 68th minute.
United survived a late scare as Pelle grabbed a second and David de Gea pulled off several stunning stops to protect the points, and Louis van Gaal’s men return north with another vital victory under their belts.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Anthony Martial, Manchester United
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Panic buy? Pah!
Anthony Martial has so far proved every doubter in England wrong, scoring three goals in his first two Premier League appearances and looking every inch the cold, calculated finisher this club needs.
His first strike at St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday was brilliant, turning on a sixpence to send Virgil van Dijk the wrong way and slotting home with aplomb. In the second half he preyed on a hospital back-pass from Maya Yoshida and curled a calm shot home to give his side the lead.
“He’s very calm and relaxed,” Morgan Schneiderlin said of Martial on Sky Sports’ live broadcast after the game. “He’s an amazing talent, very intelligent, very calm. Today he showed that. He will be a great player for the future of Manchester United.”
The ridiculous fee paid by Manchester United to acquire the 19-year-old has heaped pressure on his shoulders, but he’s responding in the right way. If Martial keeps up this prolific goal-scoring form, he’ll be a contender for Young Player of the Year.
Loser: Virgil Van Dijk, Southampton
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You’re not in the Scottish Premier League anymore!
Virgil van Dijk had a...difficult home debut, to put it politely. Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay ran rings around Southampton’s defence as a whole, and Van Dijk visibly struggled with the adjustment in opposition quality.
Martial’s ankle-breaker of a turn for the first goal sent the Dutchman flying the wrong way, and late on he was forced to cynically foul the striker after being wrong-sided on a counter-attack.
To sum up the day, he went down with cramp in the 80th minute. In September.
Winner: Morgan Schneiderlin, Manchester United
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It will have been tough for Southampton fans to take, but Morgan Schneiderlin put in a brilliant display—as usual—on the St. Mary’s turf. Unfortunately, he plays for the opposing team now.
Whereas Michael Carrick struggled under pressure from the Saints midfield, Schneiderlin shone. He nodded a good ball forward to help create the first goal and clamped the midfield defensively after an iffy 25 minutes.
One particular highlight was his sliding tackling to block Sadio Mane being released in the channel between right-back and centre-back.
Loser: Maya Yoshida, Southampton
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As difficult as Van Dijk’s afternoon was, he was not the worst performer in Southampton’s defensive line. That particularly shame goes to Maya Yoshida, who committed a horrifying error to allow Manchester United to take the lead in the second half.
The Japanese international badly under-hit a back-pass to Maarten Stekelenburg without checking for danger, and Martial, in full vulture mode, seized upon it and slotted home. It was a goal that violently shifted the momentum and knocked the wind out of Saints’ sails.
Given the recruitment of both Van Dijk and Steven Caulker this summer, it’s safe to assume Ronald Koeman wasn’t happy with his defensive options post-Toby Alderweireld. Yoshida is probably fourth on the depth chart, and mistakes like these won’t help his cause.
Winner: David De Gea, Manchester United
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David de Gea came up big for Manchester United on Sunday and, for some fans, will have ended up as their choice for Man of the Match. As Goal.com’s goalkeeping expert Jay Jaffa tweeted, “[he’s] back to his magnificent best.”
The Spaniard made a stunning save to deny Jose Fonte from a corner, somehow clawing a ball that had gone behind him away from goal and out of danger, and made two key stops in injury time to prevent a budding Southampton comeback. He also palmed Sadio Mane's effort clear in the build-up to Graziano Pelle's goal.
Louis van Gaal must be so relieved he didn’t depart to Real Madrid on transfer deadline day.
