Match report and free highlights as Bruno Fernandes scores fine volley to give Man Utd a 1-0 win over Southampton at St Mary's; Man Utd secure back-to-back victories for first time since February and end run of seven consecutive away losses; Casemiro makes Man Utd debut in second half
Sunday 28 August 2022 10:44, UK
Bruno Fernandes' fine volley was the difference as Manchester United beat a spirited Southampton 1-0 at St Mary's to give Erik ten Hag his first away win as manager.
Having been humiliated 4-0 at Brentford two weeks ago, United responded with an impressive home victory over rivals Liverpool on Monday night and were looking to build on that momentum in the sunshine on the south coast this weekend.
After an even start, a flowing United move 10 minutes into the second half ended with Fernandes applying a brilliant finish to Diogo Dalot's cross (55) to seal back-to-back wins for the visitors for the first time since February.
Southampton had their fair share of chances during the game, but United's resolute defending and some smart saves from David de Gea - most notably to deny Joe Aribo an equaliser - kept the hosts out.
"I saw a team on the pitch, good organisation, fight for each other, and I think there were also some really good moments from playing football," Ten Hag said afterwards.
"There is a lot of room for improvement, that's quite clear, but for me that is normal."
The win sees United end a run of seven consecutive away defeats in the Premier League and extends their unbeaten streak against Southampton at St Mary's to 15 games in all competitions. Ralph Hasenhuttl's team have won just one of their previous nine home matches in all competitions, losing seven.
Manchester United headed south in buoyant mood following Monday night's morale-boosting victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag named the same side that beat their rivals, with new £70m signing Casemiro among the substitutes.
After an even opening 20 minutes, the first big opportunity fell to the visitors, but an excellent save from Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to deny Anthony Elanga and some last-ditch defending to thwart Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen stopped United from taking the lead.
Ten Hag's side controlled possession for large periods but Southampton continued to look dangerous on the break. Defender Armel Bella-Kotchap should have broken the deadlock on 30 minutes but blazed over at the back post from a few yards out, before David de Gea did well to hold onto a firm Che Adams shot moments later.
Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane defended resolutely for United in the first half and the visitors had another opportunity to take the lead just before the break, but Fernandes saw his free-kick from the edge of the area blocked by the Southampton wall.
Four minutes into the second half, it was United who tested the Southampton goal. Scott McTominay's effort was routinely saved by Bazunu at the near post, before Varane headed over the bar from the resulting corner. Elanga then thought he was in on goal minutes later after a quick one-two with Fernandes, but Bella-Kotchap made a superb tackle to deny him.
United were probing and their pressure was rewarded in the 55th minute. Elanga was the spark again down the right-hand side, finding Jadon Sancho who then fed the overlapping Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese full-back whipped a cross towards his countryman Fernandes, who was in acres of space on the edge of the box to slam the ball home on the volley.
Southampton responded well and had a penalty appeal against McTominay waved away by referee Andy Madley and VAR, before De Gea expertly stopped Joe Aribo's close-range header in the 66th minute to keep the visitors in the lead.
The away side introduced Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro in the second half as they withstood some intense pressure from the hosts. Despite their best efforts, though, Southampton's wait for a first home win against United since August 2003 goes on.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag: "I think we did a lot better [than] against Brentford.
"I saw a team on the pitch, good organisation, fight for each other, and I think there were also some really good moments from playing football.
"We scored finally in the best part of Man United after half-time. I think that 10-15 minutes was really good. We played a really good possession game and scored a wonderful goal.
"There is a lot of room for improvement, that's quite clear, but for me that is normal. Communication is always tough, that's one. Second is cooperation with the team, that is new. A new way of play, so a lot of new facts, and that will not go 100 per cent from the start. But we have to get results, we have to win games, and that is what we went through.
"And we did today, so I'm really happy with that."
Asked about the specifics of his rule book, Ten Hag replied: "Do you have an hour? There is always a journey with your team. We started from the first day in pre-season to get that in, and now the window is not closed. Every time a new player is in you have to inform them about the rules, and they have to play together."
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl: "I think the performance was very good.
"I [did not] have one player in the team where I could say I wasn't happy about his performance, and that shows you after the game that you did a good job with the quality we have, with the weapons we have to stress them.
"We had a lot of chances created today and didn't give them a lot, so from this part I think we matched them. In the end maybe we had the better chances but didn't score.
"I'm not scared with this team. I see how quick the guys are learning and how quick we are adapting to this quality. We can be proud of what I've seen today."
Sky Sports' Dan Sansom at St Mary's:
All of a sudden, the mood feels very different at Manchester United - on the pitch at least. Three points against rivals Liverpool on Monday night and the £70m arrival of Brazil midfielder Casemiro meant they travelled to Southampton on Saturday lunchtime full of hope and optimism.
But a word that's used a lot in football and certainly has not been the case with United in recent years - is consistency. That is their next challenge. A hard-fought win at St Mary's showed they are capable of producing it.
Finding a settled defence certainly contributes to that, and Erik ten Hag might have just discovered it. Harry Maguire started on the bench again after being dropped against Liverpool, with the United boss warning pre-match that the England defender will not play just because he is the captain of the club.
Maguire now faces potentially his most challenging period since joining United three years ago. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are showing early signs of forming a solid partnership at the heart of the defence, while left-back Tyrell Malacia also produced another impressive performance in place of Luke Shaw.
Much has been made of Martinez's height at 5ft 9in, but the stats suggest there has been a fuss about nothing. The Argentine won five out of five aerial duels against Southampton and had a 100 per cent ground duel success rate. Alongside him, Varane looked back to his commanding best.
A first clean sheet of the season will have delighted Ten Hag. His reign is firmly up and running. All of a sudden there's competition for places again - a positive selection headache to have.
But what does this mean for England's Maguire and Shaw, with the World Cup in Qatar only three months away?
Sky Sports' Dan Sansom at St Mary's:
Manchester United's defence might look more assured, but the same can also be said of Southampton's. New signing Armel Bella-Kotchap, who arrived on a four-year deal from Bundesliga club VfL Bochum this summer, is the main reason for that.
The 20-year-old was a commanding presence at the back, winning headers, blocking shots and making expertly-timed challenges - most notably to deny Anthony Elanga a clear sight of goal.
Bella-Kotchap could have easily been named man of the match had he taken a first-half chance instead of blazing over from a few yards out, but he looks more than capable of becoming an established Premier League defender.
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl will feel aggrieved not to see his side come away with at least a point. On another day, they could have taken all three. They battled bravely and competed in every area. If they can show a bit more quality in front of goal, they should easily avoid a relegation battle this season.
Southampton host Chelsea at St Mary's in the Premier League on Tuesday (kick-off 7.45pm). They then travel to Wolves on September 3 (kick-off 3pm).
Manchester United make the trip to Leicester in the Premier League on Thursday evening (kick-off 8pm). Three days later, Erik ten Hag's side welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 4pm (kick-off 4.30pm).
