Manchester United vs. Southampton: Score and Reaction from 2016 EPL Match
Manchester United grabbed their second win of the 2016-17 Premier League season on Friday, as Paul Pogba made his debut in a 2-0 victory over Southampton at Old Trafford.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring after 36 minutes with a powerful header, breaking open a close and tense match. He doubled his tally from the penalty spot early in the second half, and the Red Devils cruised to the finish line from that point.
As shared by United's official Twitter account, star midfielder Pogba made his first start of the season after completing his summer move from Juventus:
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Bleacher Report UK were as excited as everyone:
The visitors started the contest well, with Dusan Tadic firing a free-kick into the wall early. United dominated possession and moved the ball around at pace, but Southampton were dangerous every time they broke on the counter.
All eyes were fixed on Pogba, and when he clumsily lost the ball with his first touch, it led to much hilarity on social media. The first touch was only the start of a shaky opening period for the Frenchman, per Squawka Football:
Oriol Romeu spent some time down on the pitch after picking up a knock, slowing down play, and Jordy Clasie replaced the midfielder after just 12 minutes.
Pogba fired United's first real chance of the match straight at Fraser Forster, and Tadic couldn't get on the end of a cross on the other side of the pitch, as play moved up and down. The Serb was by far Saints' top threat, but he just couldn't reach a cross from Nathan Redmond after 19 minutes.
The Red Devils were looking at the counter-attack and found some success, but both Wayne Rooney and Ibrahimovic tried to do too much, running out of time. Anthony Martial panicked the defence with his speed a few times, but Jose Fonte snuffed out the most dangerous occasion.
La Liga blogger Rafael Hernandez loved what he was seeing:
Real chances were few in the first half, however. Southampton more than held their own at Old Trafford, and the best chances fell their way, with Shane Long finding the side netting after a clever header from Redmond.
Pogba and Juan Mata combined well to create some space for Ibrahimovic, who tried his luck with an acrobatic effort he just couldn't keep on target. Long put David De Gea to work for the first time with a rather tame shot, and Forster also had to spring into action to deny Rooney.
The opening goal fell after 36 minutes, as Rooney picked out Ibrahimovic with a fine cross and the Swede powered a header past Forster and into the net. Bleacher Report UK couldn't help themselves:
Pogba nearly picked out Martial after a strong run, as the Red Devils pushed for a second goal before half-time, but the final chance of the half fell to the visitors, with Steven Davis firing over.
Mata started the second half with a wayward shot, before Tadic thought he had leveled things with a fine header, only to be denied by the offside flag.
The fast start to the half continued, with Martial drawing a save from Forster, before the hosts were given a penalty after Clasie tripped up Luke Shaw. Ibrahimovic easily converted, scoring his second of the match. Copa90 wondered who thought the veteran would have this much success early:
Southampton now took control of the ball in search of a goal, and Cedric Soares found Redmond with a cross, only to watch the youngster rush his shot. Clasie's poor night continued as well, as the Dutchman fired a wild shot over the bar from a promising position.
Pogba nearly opened his scoring account with a header after a good cross from Mata, but the midfielder directed his effort over Forster's goal. Martial also went close after some clever passing between Marouane Fellaini and Rooney, but he couldn't get his shot off in time, allowing Virgil van Dijk to return and make the block.
Long should have pulled one back after another good cross from Soares with 15 minutes left to play, but his header flashed across goal and just missed the mark.
Van Dijk lofted a header over the bar as time started to run out, and Martial almost released Ibrahimovic on the counter with 10 minutes to go. Pogba fired just wide of the goal after a strong run as well, and a third goal for the hosts seemed more likely than one for Saints.
The visitors' late push was weak at best, as United easily held onto their lead until the final whistle.
Post-Match Reaction
As shared by Tom Williams of Agence France-Presse, Mourinho revealed the instructions he gave Pogba before the match:
The Red Devils travel to Hull City for their next match, while Southampton play host to Sunderland.
