Southampton vs Manchester United: Saints gain hard-earned point

Southampton earned their first point of the new Premier League season after drawing against Manchester United in front of a packed St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were coming off a big 5-1 victory over Leeds United and started the game brightly.

However, they were unable to put away a number of clear chances in the opening 20 minutes and Southampton started to gain a foothold in the game.

As Saints began to build some degree of momentum, they struck.

Southampton won the ball up the pitch and it broke to Che Adams, who fired a shot from just outside the box that deflected off Fred to go beyond United goalkeeper David de Gea and make it 1-0 to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

After half-time, United were dominant and that pressure told as Mason Greenwood squirmed the ball past Alex McCarthy to equalise.

United maintained that dominance inside Southampton’s half but failed to make any more chances pay and Southampton, once again, managed to play better as the half wore on.

In the last 20 minutes, Southampton looked the team more likely to take all three points.

Saints’ new striker Adam Armstrong, who netted against Everton the previous week, should have scored late on but de Gea managed to save from close range.

From the resulting corner, the ball fell to Armstrong again but he was unable to head the ball home nor find one of his teammates in the six yard box.

Southampton can feel genuinely unlucky at not beating United in the end. However, this was a dogged performance and hard-earned point Hasenhuttl and his squad can build on.

Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Perraud (Walker-Peters 79’), Salisu, Stephens, Livramento; Djenepo (Diallo 70’), Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Walcott (Bednarek 45’); A. Armstrong, Adams

Unused subs: Forster (GK), Valery, Elyounoussi, Tella, Redmond, Long

Goals: Fred - OG (30’)

Bookings: Stephens, Djenepo

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred (McTominay 76’), Matic (Lingard 86’); Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba; Martial (Sancho 59’)

Unused subs: Heaton (GK), van de Beek, James, Dalot, Varane, Mata

Goals: Greenwood (55’)

Bookings: Maguire, Fernandes, Pogba