Manchester United vs. Southampton: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Southampton downed Manchester United at Old Trafford for the second consecutive season by a 1-0 score on Saturday.
New signing Charlie Austin found the back of the net in the 87th minute to hand the Saints their third straight victory in league play. The strike came eight minutes after the former Queens Park Rangers man entered the pitch for Sadio Mane.
The defeat was a blow to United's recent form and to the stock of manager Louis van Gaal. The Red Devils suffered their first loss of the calendar year while playing in a formation that was supposed to cancel out Southampton's attack, but it did more damage to their own efforts moving forward.
The final result temporarily moved the Saints into eighth place in the Premier League table, while United fell five points behind Tottenham Hotspur in the race for fourth.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Southampton's victory at Old Trafford.
Winner: Charlie Austin
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Austin made an immediate impact in his Southampton debut as he nodded home the game-winner in the 87th minute.
Austin found plenty of space in the box and easily headed home James Ward-Prowse's free-kick from the right wing. The goal helped the Saints comfortably move inside the top 10 of the Premier League table just weeks after dealing with some relegation talk.
The strike was the first for Austin since joining Southampton from Queens Park Rangers, where he found the back of the net on 10 occasions in the Championship this season.
If Austin continues to make an impact on the Southampton attack, the Saints could make a considerable push toward the European places.
Loser: Louis van Gaal
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Van Gaal killed all the momentum Manchester United brought into the match by lining his squad up in an odd formation.
The Dutch boss aligned Jesse Lingard and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson at wing-back with three center-backs in the middle in an attempt to quell the Southampton attack. By keeping one of his top attackers in defense, Van Gaal limited the potential output of his forwards.
Due to the poor decision-making by Van Gaal, United left the pitch with one shot on target, which came on a long-range attempt by Daley Blind early in the first half.
Van Gaal tried to remedy the situation by bringing on Adnan Januzaj, but that move came too late in the 86th minute.
The ship could be righted if United take care of business against Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, but Saturday's showing could also send United into another slump.
Winner: Virgil van Dijk
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The Southampton defense received a massive boost from center-back Virgil van Dijk on Saturday as the 24-year-old made plenty of key interceptions in the box to deny United of putting shots on net.
The rock in the middle of defense totaled five tackles, five interceptions and five clearances, per WhoScored. Each key defensive intervention helped kill the morale of the United attack, which was low to begin with given Van Gaal's tactical setup.
Van Dijk and his defensive teammates limited United to one shot on goal and kept the influence of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial to a minimum. The strong play at the back allowed Southampton to spring forward and produce a constant threat on the counter.
If Saturday's defensive showing produces a good spell of form in the near future, the Saints will pose a threat to any team that comes their way on the fixture list.
Loser: Anthony Martial
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Martial's scoreless run in all competitions extended to four games after he failed to record a shot on goal against Southampton.
While his strike partner Rooney popped up on occasion in the United attack, Martial was silent for the majority of the contest.
Although plenty of blame for the terrible attacking performance lies on the shoulders of Van Gaal's tactical alignment, a player like Martial should find a way to adjust and solve the problem presented to him.
Martial did make 37 touches, per WhoScored, but very few of them came around the net. If United want to be a serious contender for the top four, Martial needs to become more of a threat with Rooney appearing to heat up.
Winner/Loser: Matteo Darmian
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United's top defensive play of the match came in the 57th minute, when Matteo Darmian used his head to stop a Southampton counter.
While Mane surged down the right side of the pitch, Shane Long ran in behind Darmian. The 26-year-old defender remained in the box and got just enough of the ball to stop Long from challenging David de Gea.
Unfortunately for Darmian, that was his last involvement in the match as he suffered an injury in the collision with Long.
If Darmian's injury ends up being serious, United's depth at full-back will be tested even more, which isn't a good thing based on the lack of available players entering Saturday's home match.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
