Southampton 1-1 Manchester United: 3 players who were impressive for the Red Devils

Manchester United traveled to St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday to face Southampton in a game that was of vital importance for the Red Devils. United were in a fix after winning just 1 of their 3 games so far this season and a home defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace last weekend had left fans disappointed. The Red Devils were 5th in the table, and were desperate to get back to winning ways, in order to instill some positivity in the team. However, the Saints were no pushovers.

Southampton had stretched Liverpool in the second game of the season and were coming into this tie on the back of two away wins on the trot. Solskjaer was wary of the threat posed by the home side and he made three changes to the team that lost to Crystal Palace at home. Ashley Young was brought in for the injured Luke Shaw at left back, while Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira replaced Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial, who was missing due to injury.

Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Ashley Young; Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata; Daniel James, Marcus Rashford, Andreas Pereira.

It was the home side who started the game better, but United took control when Daniel James scored the opening goal in the 10th minute. The first half ended 1-0 in United's favour. After the break, Southampton piled up the pressure on the away defense and were back in the game when Jannik Vestergaard scored the equalizer in the 58th minute. Southampton's Kevin Danso picked up his second yellow in the 73rd minute and United had the numerical advantage from then on. However, Solskjaer's wards failed to take advantage of the situation and the game ended in a draw.

Even though Solskjaer will be disappointed with a draw, he will be pleased with the performance of these 3 players who were impressive against Southampton.

#3 Juan Mata

Juan Mata (R) was outstanding as the No. 10

When Jesse Lingard failed to provide a creative spark in the No. 10 role once again last weekend, fans were desperate for a change of personnel in the position. Solskjaer was aware that his young team needed the right injection of experience and ingenuity in the final third. He knew that the time was ripe to introduce Juan Mata in his preferred role.

With the movement and speed of Daniel James and Marcus Rashford ahead of him, the Spaniard went to work immediately on the field. He cleverly slotted in behind the home midfield, running into pockets of spaces and keeping the ball moving. His movement both with the ball and without it showed what United have been missing in the final third so far this season. The Spaniard was extremely hard to mark and also pressed efficiently high up the park to keep the home side on their toes.

Mata’s cleverness was also evident in the build-up to the goal. His dummy run in the 10th minute created enough confusion in the final third and gave Daniel James the time and space to cut inside and score. The Spaniard deserves to start in the No. 10 role for this team.

#2 Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was rock solid at right back

The Englishman has started his new life at Old Trafford very well since making the move from Crystal Palace in the summer. Wan-Bissaka has been assured at the right back position for United so far, but last weekend’s defeat against his former club must have hurt him a lot. This had to be an added incentive to strive harder against Southampton and he was impressive once again at right back.

Wan-Bissaka was tireless in his forward runs, regularly joining Andreas Pereira on the right side. His positioning stretched the opposition defence, creating spaces for Mata and Pogba to utilize. His crossing was decent too, however, United failed to take advantage of his final balls.

The 21-year-old was also exceptional at the back, dealing with the threat of Boufal admirably. His tackling was spot on and the home team struggled to create any openings past him on the day. He was massive when United had a numbers advantage late in the second half, running into the final third and creating a lot of chances. Once again, though, Manchester United were unable to turn those chances into goals and the game ended in a draw.

#1 Daniel James

Since making the move to Old Trafford, Daniel James has started in all of United’s games this season, hitting the ground running and wowing fans with his finishing prowess. The Welshman was probably bought with the future in mind, however, he has shown the world that he is perfectly capable of playing at United’s level even though his talent is still a bit raw.

Because of the injury to Anthony Martial, James found himself on the left forward role, as Rashford was selected to lead the line. It hardly seemed to matter to him though, because he started the game with a bang. Receiving a ball from Scott McTominay, he cut inside, approached the edge of the box and unleashed a fiery volley into the far corner. United were under pressure at the start of the game, but the goal made them comfortable.

James continued to be United’s most dangerous forward for the entire first half, stretching the defense time and again. He combined well with Juan Mata and Ashley Young in the final third, but his contribution was not restricted to attack alone. The Welshman regularly tracked back to help Young out and also won back the ball with his continued pressing. He looks like a fine addition to this United team and was the best player on the pitch for the Red Devils.

Edited by Emeka Monyei