Southampton 1-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points | Premier League 2019-20

Manchester United visited Southampton in the Premier League after a shock loss against Crystal Palace last weekend. The Red Devils dropped points yet again as Southampton held them to a draw despite being down to 10 men.

Daniel James gave Manchester United the lead in the 10th minute with a powerful curler past Angus Gunn. After struggling to hold on to the lead till half-time, Manchester United crumbled under Southampton's pressure in the second half as Jannik Vestergaard gave them the equalizing goal.

Kevin Danso brought Scott McTominay down on the right-wing and earned himself a second yellow, reducing the home side to just 10. A resurgent defense for the last 20 odd minutes saw Southampton holding on to the solitary point. Manchester United's dismal start continues as they have earned only 5 points in the opening four games of the season.

Here are five talking points from the game.

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#5 Fearless, Resurgent, Rock-Hard: Southampton gave everything they had

Vestergaard's header secured a point for The Saints

Unlike Crystal Palace last weekend who sat back and invited Manchester United to try and unlock their defense, Southampton took a different route. The home side pressed United high up the pitch and had an attacking intent in their game.

After conceding the goal and dealing with the frustrating low-tempo game of United, Southampton grew into the game a lot more towards the end of the first half. From the start of the second half, Southampton put United on the backfoot. They were rewarded for their efforts by Jannik Vestergaard who sprang up and connected a strong header past David de Gea.

After the red-card and an ominous spell of United possession, the home team regrouped with a 4-4-1, trying to contain United's attack and succeeded in doing so. They kept the defense compact, not leaving gaps for any player to attack, and had a strong mark so that no player slipped them to connect with the cutbacks.

All in all, a hard-fought point for Southampton and their players and fans both deserve it alike.

#4 Paul Pogba's positioning has to be sorted out

Pogba had a hard time dealing with pressure in his own half

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's urge to stick with a 4-2-3-1 system is one thing but another one is keeping Paul Pogba in the double-pivot along Scott McTominay.

In the deeper position, Pogba looks very out of sorts and is caught in possession more often. He lost possession last weekend while trying to progress the ball from deep and ended up conceding a goal. Yesterday, towards the end of the first half, Pogba was given a rough and tough time by Southampton's high pressing forwards.

He lost possession almost instantaneously after receiving the ball and during a sequence, he lost the ball three times in under a minute.

However, after Nemanja Matic's introduction, we saw Pogba being freed from his clutches and playing more high up the pitch. He looked more comfortable playing in front of the defense rather than having to deal with pressing by attackers. He is a known predator in front of the goal and can orchestrate as a #10.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should consider moving Pogba higher up the pitch by either switching him to a #10 role or changing formation.

#3 Manchester United still very fragile on the defensive end

Wan-Bissaka is the only bright spot on an underwhelming defensive performance

Harry Maguire was signed for a world-record fee this summer alongside Aaron Wan-Bissaka with the sole purpose of reinforcing the defense. Yet, not in one game has Manchester United looked stable at the back.

They are too prone to the pressure from attackers and get caught out of positions at times. Yesterday, there was no cover for the back four even though it was a double-pivot on paper. There was a massive amount of space which could've been exploited to devastating effects by a more creative and fluent side.

Manchester United purposefully slowed down the tempo of the game through very slow build-up play and taking too much time for free-kicks and throw-ins, just to disrupt Southampton's momentum. If this is how they are going to deal with Southampton's pressure, then goodness knows what they'll do against teams like Liverpool and Manchester City.

Vestergaard's goal itself shows a complacent defensive phase. The open header for Southampton which forced a save, the failure to latch onto the ball and clear immediately, the freedom with which Kevin Danso was allowed to cross, and a very weak defensive cover on Jannik Vestergaard - the only man at the end of the cross in red and whites. This was all despite United having 9 men within 10 yards of United's goal-line.

This is a serious issue which should be addressed for their good.

#2 United's slowish pace of the game backfires on them

Rashford didn't get into his groove yesterday

Manchester United slowed the tempo of the game down after they scored their opening goal and looked content with holding onto the lead. Despite facing more than a couple of problems on the defensive end, they still didn't switch their intent and kept on wasting time and inviting whistles from the home crowd.

As slow as the game was, the pace of Marcus Rashford and Daniel James was taken out of the equation, which they would be able to use only when the ball movements are quick. Losing grip on their attack, United left themselves prone to the growing momentum of Southampton's offensive ventures.

Southampton hit United when they got the chance and they would well have hit another if not for the red card, which forced a defensive gameplan. United tried to secure the three points in the last 15 odd minutes of the game and ended up getting only a single point.

Had United tried to take the game by its scruffs early on, they might have succeeded in winning. There was not enough creativity to break down a sturdy defense and it might as well be stated that United was sluggish in getting at the end of nearly four or five good balls from the wide areas by Daniel James.

It is tough to switch from a slow-moving game to a fast-paced rapid attacking in the last few minutes. It has to be said that United missed a trick or their plot backfired.

#1 Daniel James shines again

Southampton FC v Manchester United - Premier League

Back in 2017, a kid was struggling to get minutes on loan at Shrewsbury Town. Fast forward two years and the same kid is now stepping up for his team in every game at Manchester United. Daniel James' rise to the top has been magnificent and he is showing signs of being the long-term guardian of the Red Devils' fort.

The effort that a fan would love to see from a player is evident in James. He works his really hard on the pitch, gets back to defend, gets forward with unreal pace on attacks, and now, he is showing the tendency of cutting in and shooting brilliantly with his right foot.

James took advantage of a poor defensive organization by Southampton and the shrewd decoy run of Juan Mata to open up space for himself and rocket a shot past Angus Gunn. He opened up the left-hand side and delivered around three to four neat low-crosses which met no target from his side.

James has now scored 3 goals in his United career in 5 games but alas two of them have not yielded a winning cause. Hopefully, for United fans, he will carry on with his form because he is the only real attacking threat in the team right now.