Key events
45+1 min: Having played so well for long periods of this first half, things have gone massively pear-shaped for Southampton.
The positivity which permeated throughout St Mary’s as Cameron Archer stood over the ball hoping to put his side 1-0 up from the penalty spot 15 minutes ago has completely evaporated and it could be argued that the home side are now lucky to be only two goals down. It’s half-time.
43 min: Southampton are completely on the ropes. From another corner, the ball is played low into their penalty area and finds its way to an unmarked De Ligt. His shot from eight yards is superbly blocked by Aaron Ramsdale, who probably could have done better with his effort to save Rashford’s shot a couple of minutes previously. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was unsighted …
GOAL! Southampton 0-2 Man United (Rashford 41)
United double their lead! History repeats itself, as Southampton leave another man unmarked near the edge of their box at a corner. This time the ball is played to Rashford, who curls a low shot from outside the penalty area inside the far post.
41 min: Rashford, who has not scored since 17 March, is played in behind by Amad and finds himself one-on-one against Ramsdale. Southampton’s goalkeeper comes out on top and concedes another corner.
38 min: Moments before that goal and seconds after Southampton had missed their penalty, Joshua Zirkzee had brought a very smart save indeed out of Ramsdale, who got down well to tip his low shot around the post and concede the corner from which United scored.
37 min: United had a corner, which Christian Eriksen pulled short to Bruno Fernandes in acres of space near the left side of the Southampton penalty area. He had all the time in the world to pick out De Ligt at the far post and the Dutch defender made no mistake.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Man United (De Ligt 36)
United lead! Matthijs De Ligt scores with a downward header across the face of goal and into the bottom corner after connecting with an inch-perfect cross from Bruno Fernandes at a corner.
34 min: Ben Brereton-Diaz looked ready to take the penalty but handed the ball to Cameron Archer. Perhaps that was the plan all along? After Archer placed the ball on the spot, he had a wait of almost a minute before Stuart Attwell gave him permission to take the penalty.
Onana saves Archer’s penalty!
It’s still scoreless! After a long delay, Cameron Archer has his low shot to the left saved by Andre Onana, who also saves the follow-up.
Penalty for Southampton!
30 min: Diogo Dalot brings down Tyler Dibling on the right side of the penalty area as the youngster tries to beat him. It’s near the edge of the area but a VAR check confirms it’s a spot-kick …
29 min: Amad gets on the ball and canters up the right flank before veering inside and unleashing a shot. The ball takes a big deflection off Jack Stephens before Aaron Ramsdale claims it.
28 min: A Yukinari Sugawara free-kick from the right near the byline is headed over the bar by a criminally unmarked Lesley Ugochukwu.
27 min: Kobee Mainoo goes to ground in a tussle and deliberately handles the ball near the halfway line. He gets booked and his third yellow card of the season is a very cheap one.
25 min: Flynn Downes sends Sugawara on his way down the inside-right and the Japanese international squares the ball across the face of the United penalty area. It’s cleared.
23 min: Facing his own goal, De Ligt sticks out a leg to hook a Sugawara cross from the right clear before it can reach the lurking Cameron Archer. It’s a crucial interception.
22 min: Andre Onana darts off his line to pluck a Kyle Walker-Peters cross into the United penalty area from the air before it can reach Tyler Dibling.
19 min: Bruno Fernades has a shot-come-cross blocked at the conclusion of a United counter-attack after good work along the byline by Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters at the other end of the pitch. Sadly for Southampton, his pull-back was cleared by Matthijs De Ligt.
17 min: United win their first corner of the match when Dalot puts the ball out of play off Jan Bednarek. Yukinari Sugawara clears the inswinger at the near post but Noussair Mazraoui catches the ball with a sweet volley from outside the area. The United right-back does well to keep his strike on target but it’s straight at Ramsdale.
14 min: United get forward, with Amad on the ball near the right side of the Southampton penalty area. He plays the ball inside to Christian Eriksen, who plays it towards the far post. Joshua Zirkzee is unable to get enough power on his connection to beat Aaron Ramsdale. That was a chance!
13 min: Bruno Fernandes is the latest United player to lose the ball, coughing up more cheap possession being outmuscled by Lesley Ugochukwu right on the halfway line.
12 min: Matthijs De Ligt stands as firm as Cameron Archer receives the ball to feet near the United six-yard box with his back to goal and tries to turn. Erik ten Hag’s side keep giving the ball away cheaply inside their own half.
11 min: Southampton are visibly growing ino this contest, their confidence buoyed by that early effort from Dibling.
10 min: Ben Brereton-Diaz spots a run from Cameron Archer and plays the ball into his path from deep. Andre Onana is quick off his line to avert the danger on the right side of his penalty area.
7 min: Andre Onana is forced into a great fingertip save from Tyler Dibling, who beats Dalot, canters upfield and unleashes a curled left-footed effort that threatened to creep inside the far post.
6 min: Much maligned for their insistence on playing out from the back, Southampton are showing no signs of being wedded to the policy today. Aaron Ramsdale has clipped three balls long already when atempting to play out from the back under pressure from lurking United players looked risky.
5 min: Marcus Rashford tries to cut inside after running on to a pass up the inside right from Christian Eriksen. Jack Stephens relieves him of the ball and clears.
3 min: It’s a big day for Southampton winger Tyler Dibling, who makes his first Premier League start today. The 18-year-old is a very highly regarded graduate from the Saints academy, who is back at the club after a short spell at Chelsea.
2 min: Southampton have opted for a change in system and line up with a back four and they might have changed their approach a little too. After playing one ball through the centre along the deck, Aaron Ramsdale launches another airborne clearance as far as he can down the middle.
Southampton v Man United is go …
1 min: Manchester United get the ball rolling, their players wearing navy shirts, shorts and socks. Their hosts are in red shirts, black shorts and white socks.
Not long now: Led by match referee Stuart Attwell and his team of assistants, the players of both sides make their way out on to the St Mary’s pitch ahead of the last of the pre-match formalities. It’s a sunny afternoon on the south coast, with condititions more or less perfect.
Erik Ten Hag: In an interview with TNT Sports, the Manchester United manager says Manuel Ugarte is not in his starting line-up because he has not had time to get assimilated into the squad properly yet.
“Manuel, we have to integrate into the team,” he says. “He has only had two sessions, we have to integrate and that takes time.”
On what the presence of Christian Eriksen in the side means for Casemiro: “We have a squad and we offer a lot of games, he will play I am convinced of this.”
Manchester United: Erik ten Hag accepts that if Manchester United’s poor results continue the backing offered by the club’s executive will fade, with the manager admitting: “You have to deliver.” Words: Jamie Jackson.
Today’s match officials
Manchester United: While a familiar tale of gloom is playing out at Old Trafford, Erik Ten Hag’s future is a distraction from the fact that United face more profound challenges, writes Barney Ronay.
Those teams: Contrary to expectations, there are no starting berths for Manuel Ugarte and Alejandro Garnacho, who are both on the bench after returning from international duty in South America. Christian Eriksen comes into midfield in place of Casemiro, while Amada Diallo is also back in the starting line-up in place of Garnacho.
Russell Martin makes four changes to the Southampton side that lost against Brentford last time out and switches to what looks like a back four. Leslie Ogochukwu, Matheus Fernandes, Tyler Dibling and Cameron Archer come into the side, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Joe Aribo and Adam Armstrong all dropping to the bench. Will Smallbone is not in the matchday squad.
Southampton v Manchester United line-ups
Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Bednarek, Stephens, Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Dibling, Archer, Brereton Diaz.
Subs: McCarthy, Harwood-Bellis, Taylor, Fraser, Lallana, Aribo, Cornet, Armstrong, Stewart.
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Fernandes, Rashford, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Amad, Dalot, Mainoo.
Subs: Bayindir, Evans, Maguire, Casemiro, Collyer, Ugarte, Antony, Garnacho, Wheatley.
Southampton manager Russell Martin has thus far been loyal to the players who helped Southampton to the Premier League but after three consecutive defeats, he says he is ready to hand more opportunities to new recruits such as Cameron Archer, Mateus Fernandes, Maxwel Cornet and Ryan Fraser.
“I have to balance that loyalty and what they did last season with what some are actually doing now and the place they’re in right now,” he said. “Also, with the level of talent that’s come into the building, they need a bit of time to adapt, but we’ve brought in some really brilliant players.
“It’s about trying to get that right for them to come into the team. I think now it’s inevitable that changes will be made and people will have opportunities that they need to take.”
Early team news
Deadline day signing Manuel Ugarte is expected to make his debut for Manchester United today in place of Casemiro, who had a nightmare day at the office against Liverpool. Summer signing Leny Yoro remains sidelined with a leg injury, along with Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and striker Kamaldeen Sulemana are the only confirmed absentees for Southampton, while Ross Stewart is close to a return to full fitness and could feature in today’s squad. The Scottish striker has only played for Southampton four times since making the long trip to the south coast from Sunderland 20 months ago.
Preamble
Premier League: Without a point to their names after three games back in the top flight, Southampton welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s for the opening game of this weekend’s round of fixtures. Having come up through the playoffs, Russell Martin’s side have suffered three consecutive defeats but will be hopeful of taking something from this match despite the exalted status of their visitors.
United arrive on the south coast having suffered back-to-back defeats, the most recent being a hiding at the hands of Liverpool at Old Trafford just before the international break. They will hope to bounce back in style against hosts many have tipped for relegation and failure to do so will only ramp up the pressure on Erik Ten Hag. Kick-off at St Mary’s is at 12.30pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
