Manchester United vs. Southampton: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Game

Manchester United suffered yet another heartbreaking loss on Saturday, losing 1-0 at home to Southampton in the Premier League.

Charlie Austin celebrated his return to the top flight with a late winner, heading the ball past David De Gea after the United defence failed to pick him up inside the box.

The Red Devils put together an uninspired performance against a solid Saints side that looked for its openings on the counter-attack but was happy to sit back and take the draw. Defence and midfield battles ruled the day at Old Trafford, with few good scoring chances to speak of before Austin's late winner.

As reported by United's official Twitter account, Marouane Fellaini started in midfield along with Ander Herrera, with Bastian Schweinsteiger unavailable:

The Belgian midfielder was involved early, putting lots of pressure on the ball and playing in Anthony Martial, who scuffed a shot wide. He then caught the attention for all the wrong reasons, accidentally striking Victor Wanyama in the face with his elbow.

The Kenyan required some treatment, and during the stoppage, the Daily Mirror's Liam Canning wondered how Fellaini keeps getting away with these kind of knocks:

Most of the action took place in midfield, where Morgan Schneiderlin and Wanyama served up a tasty battle for possession. But outside of those two, there was little to enjoy in the first half. Chances were rare, and sloppy passing around the box was the theme of the opening 45 minutes.

Wayne Rooney tried his luck with a clever curling shot from just outside the penalty area after 19 minutes, but it went wide of the post, and Ryan Bertrand did well to push Martial wide when the youngster started dribbling with the ball in a promising position.

The Red Devils tried their luck with a few shots from outside the box, but overall, the hosts created little danger. Southampton looked more dangerous on the counter-attack but refused to commit too many bodies forward, as they were content to pick their spots to attack.

Per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News, the fans didn't let the poor quality of the match get to them:

"

Stretford End singing 'United we love you'. It's a good job they do because otherwise they wouldn't choose to watch this. It's boring.

— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonMEN) January 23, 2016"

Dusan Tadic played a lovely ball over the top to isolate Sadio Mane in front of De Gea, but the speedy forward couldn't get his touch right and never got off a good shot.

Daley Blind then highlighted the hosts' frustrations by booting a long pass well over the sidelines, signalling the first real jeers heard around the stadium. The score was still 0-0 at half-time, and fans and pundits alike were anything but pleased.

Squawka Football didn't hide its feelings:

Neither did Artur Petrosyan of Sport-Express.ru:

United manager Louis van Gaal decided to shake things up at half-time, taking off Fellaini for Juan Mata, and the substitution seemed to have its desired effect, as the Red Devils started moving the ball around at a higher pace.

Southampton were still dangerous as well, with Jordy Clasie nearly finding Shane Long with an expert corner kick. The Dutchman delivered another great ball just minutes later, but Wanyama couldn't get his effort on target.

The Red Devils' fast start to the second half provided the home fans with a moment of excitement, but the momentum quickly died down. Dawson took a look at Van Gaal's substitutions and wondered why the Dutchman decided to bring back Adnan Januzaj if he didn't plan on using him:

United showed a little more urgency as the second half started to draw to a close, but Southampton didn't have trouble holding off their attack. 

Just as it seemed the match was destined to finish scoreless, debutant Austin found himself with all kinds of space inside the United box and celebrated his return to the Premier League with a winner.

The Daily Telegraph's Sam Wallace couldn't help himself:

The loss is yet another disappointing result for Manchester United, who are starting to lose ground in the race for a top-four Premier League finish and need to turn things around in a hurry.

With matches against Stoke City and Chelsea on the horizon, the opportunities are there for the Red Devils to grab a couple of wins, providing they show a lot more initiative than they did on Saturday.

Post-Match Reaction

As shared by Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World, Van Gaal urged the fans to get behind the club and pointed at injuries for United's struggles:

Follow @ReverschPass