Key events
59 min: Garnacho diddles his way past Bree on the left. He rolls across the front of the six-yard box for Antony, who simply canât miss with the keeper out of position. But instead of staying on his feet and tapping home, he elects to slide in, and the ball squirts straight left. Ramsdale claims, and how on earth did Antony manage to miss that?
58 min: Sulemana has Yoro on toast. He knocks the ball past the defender and leaves him in the dust. He enters the box and United are fortunate the shot that follows isnât all that: body open, he sidefoots lamely across Onana and wide right.
56 min: Garnacho crosses deep from the left. Dialloâs at the far stick. Heâd need Peter Crouch on his shoulders to get his head on that. Goal kick.
55 min: De Ligt heads it half-clear. Mateus Fernandes crosses again. Eventually Bree runs the ball out for a goal kick, and there are a few more boos. Meanwhile at Portman Road, itâs GOAL! Ipswich 0-2 Brighton (Rutter 81) and all three points look to be heading to the south coast.
54 min: Mateus Fernandes flicks the free kick off the wall and out for another corner. Heâll send it in from the left.
53 min: Ugochukwu bombs down the inside-left channel and is upended by Martinez, who goes into the book. Free kick just to the left of the D. Before it can be taken, Ugarte and Hojlund are hooked, with Collyer and Zirkzee sent on in their places.
51 min: Sulemana burns off Yoro yet again down the left. He enters the box and shoots. Blocked by De Ligt. Handball? Nope, according to both referee and VAR. Then Sulemana comes bowling down the same flank again, but canât find anyone with his low cross. The Old Trafford Pensive-o-meter⢠has been cranked up to 11. Does it go one louder to 12?
50 min: Dibling flicks this corner on as well, causing momentary bedlam in the United six-yard box. But the ballâs eventually hacked clear.
49 min: Sulemana has been a menace down the left all evening. Now he shrugs off Diallo with ease, and feeds Walker-Peters on the overlap. Walker-Peters earns a corner. Mateus Fernandes to take.
48 min: Sugawara takes an Arsenalesque time over a throw-in. The Old Trafford give him the aural bird.
47 min: ⦠and it nearly pays dividends immediately. Ugarte sails a pass down the left for Bruno Fernandes, who slips the ball to Antony, just inside the box on the left. Antony shoots. Deflected. Over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner, but thatâs better from the hosts, albeit with their first-half standard not high.
46 min: A slightly surprising but interesting substitution there. Bruno Fernandes drops back into midfield.
Southampton get the second half started. Itâs Unitedâs turn to kick towards the Stretford End, and theyâve sent on Antony for Mainoo.
Half-time postbag. âAmorim has done an incredible job of lowering expectations to such an extent that draws are celebrated as victories and doing the basics gets praised to the heaven. This scoreline â and performance â really shouldnât be that much of a shockâ â Stephen Carr
âThe Saints are in heaven but the devilâs in the details: Why can defenders paid hundreds of thousands a week to play football not learn how to defend a corner? Away! Away! (In more ways than one.)â â Justin Kavanagh
âWatching Rasmus Højlund lumber around the pitch again leads me to believe that heâs not long for Old Trafford. Much like the ineffective Garnachoâ â Matthew Lysaght
Select quotes from TNT pundit and United legend Paul Scholes at half-time. âReally flat ⦠lacking energy ⦠whereâs the quality ⦠Southampton really should be 2-0 or 3-0 up ⦠Sulemana has given Yoro a torrid time.â Heâs more disappointed than angry. Penny for the thoughts of Skyâs Roy Keane.
Meanwhile at Portman Road ⦠GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Brighton (Mitoma 59). Kaoru Mitomaâs shot isnât all that, but itâs too good for Christian Walton nevertheless.
HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-1 Southampton
Saints deserve this lead. Medium-volume boos ring around Old Trafford as Ruben Amorim walks off wearing an admirable poker face.
45 min +1: Dibling is booked for clattering an in-flight Ugarte. Then Diallo goes into the book for diving as he goes over easily in the environs of Mateus Fernandes. Much frustration for United.
45 min: Diallo dribbles in from the right and has the opportunity to go over Harwood-Bellisâs outstretched leg. He stays honest, and Saints get away with one there.
44 min: Thatâs Southamptonâs first goal from a corner all season. And theyâre nearly 2-0 up in short order, Aribo barging his way down the middle and powering a rising shot straight at Onana, who does his job. Old Trafford stunned. The Saints fans en fete.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Southampton (Ugarte 43 og)
Thereâs some faffing before the corner is taken. Then more faffing, by the United defence this time. Mateus Fernandes sends the corner from the left to the near post. Dibling eyebrows it on, and the ball pings off the back of Ugarte and into the top left, Onana flapping but unable to stop the ball crossing the line.
41 min: Sulemana fancies it against Yoro. He breezes past his opponent and advances down the left again. Saints begin to probe. Dibling considers shooting from the right. The ballâs shifted to the left, where Aribo wedges a ball into the box down the left for Sulemana, who slips while shooting. The ball breaks off De Ligt and out for a corner. From which â¦
39 min: United play it long. Bednarek beats a dozing Hojlund to the ball on the penalty spot, and now the volume dial shifts to Irritated Groan.
38 min: The Old Trafford volume dial is set to Pensive again.
36 min: Ugarte sends a long pass down the left for Hojlund, who reaches the edge of the box before being surrounded and forced to turn tail. He knocks back to Bruno Fernandes, who biffs a low shot towards the bottom left. Easy for Ramsdale.
34 min: Not for the first time this evening, Sulemana wriggles clear of Yoro with elegant ease. He advances down the left and sashays infield, before curling a shot intended for the top-right corner high and wide.
33 min: Theyâre underway at Portman Road again.
32 min: Somewhere, in a parallel universe, itâs 2-2.
30 min: ⦠and now Dibling hoicks over from the edge of the D. Replays of that Onana save from Mateus Fernandes show the Saints midfielder shooting straight at the keeper, but take nothing away from Onana, who made himself as big as possible.
29 min: Now Aribo has a whack from distance, having been teed up by Dibling. Thatâs blocked by De Ligt. Saints are giving as good as theyâre getting.
28 min: Dibling spins around Martinez in the midfield and dribbles outrageously down the inside-right channel. He aims for the bottom left. Onana parries. The ball balloons up to Mateus Fernandes, who chests down and hammers goalwards from eight yards. Youâd think heâd surely score, but Onana stick out his right arm, star-jumping like peak-era Peter Schmeichel, and makes an outrageous stop! How on earth did Southampton not score? (x2)
26 min: Garnacho dribbles hard down the inside-left channel, enters the box and shoots. Blocked by Bednarek, then Harwood-Bellis. The ball squirts wide right towards Walker-Peters and pings off the top of his arm. Diallo claims a penalty but neither referee nor VAR shows any interest. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
24 min: United are beginning to make good chances. Bruno Fernandes slips a delightful pass down the inside-left channel to release Mainoo into the box. Mainoo rolls infield for Garnacho, who is on the back foot, allowing Harwood-Bellis to hammer clear.
22 min: Diallo makes good down the right and cuts back for Garnacho, who canât get a shot away. Neither can Mainoo, and eventually the whistle goes when, amid a melee, Garnacho handles.
21 min: Thatâs got the home crowd going again, if nothing else. United have managed to re-establish an element of control, as well, after Southamptonâs five-minute flourish.
20 min: United should be leading. Hojlund zips his way down the inside-left channel and enters the Saints box. Heâs entitled to shoot, but unselfishly rolls across to Garnacho, who is alone on the penalty spot. Old Trafford waits for the net to bulge, but Garnacho pulls his shot wide right. Head-in-hands time.
19 min: Sugawara clips Bruno Fernandes out on the left touchline, near the corner flag. Free kick. Bruno Fernandes to take it himself. He plays it short to Garnacho, whose shot is blocked bravely by Mateus Fernandes. The ball pings off his head and away for a throw on the right. Mateus Fernandes goes down clutching his head, but thankfully is up again soon.
18 min: ⦠nothing occurs. Meanwhile at Portman Road itâs HALF TIME: Ipswich Town 0-0 Brighton & Hove Albion.
17 min: Garnacho dances in from the right and tees up Bruno Fernandes, who opens his body and aims a curler towards the top right. A deflection sends the ball off target and out for a corner. From which â¦
16 min: Ugochukwu spins around Ugarte in the centre circle and slips the ball to Mateus Fernandes, who barges his way down the inside-left channel before whistling a shot goalwards. Straight at Onana, who gathers.
14 min: ⦠and this may explain why: Southampton have enjoyed 67 percent of possession during the last five minutes.
13 min: Southampton have managed to quieten Old Trafford already. The away fans making plenty of noise at the moment; the home supporters not so much.
12 min: Sulemana shows Yoro the ball on the left before ripping past him with absurd ease. He enters the box, opens his body, and looks for the far corner with a low curler. Onana bats the shot away with a strong arm. First big chance for the Saints!
11 min: Saints are slowly growing in confidence. Sugawara dribbles down the right but canât find anybody in the middle with his low cross.
10 min: The free kick is a non-event, Mateus Fernandesâ delivery failing to beat the first man Martinez.
9 min: Martinez lunges in late on Mateus Fernandes, who was threatening down the right flank. He accidentally stands on his foot, and has the chutzpah to look amazed when the free kick is awarded. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box.
8 min: Sulemana advances confidently down the left and looks to have been tugged back by Ugarte, but he doesnât get the decision. Heâs not particularly chuffed either.
6 min: Itâs Bree versus Garnacho again, this time in the United half. Bree clips Garnacho late. The United winger isnât happy but the referee makes do with a stern word.
4 min: Bruno Fernandes drives down the left and feeds Garnacho on the overlap. Garnacho nearly gets past Bree, but just before he reaches the byline, Bree sticks out a toe and diverts the ball out for a corner. Fernandes takes it, and swings it viciously towards the near stick, where Ramsdale punches clear under pressure. United will be pleased with their lively start.
2 min: Diallo embarks on the first positive run of the evening, down the inside-right channel. The crowd get excited ⦠then Diallo slaps a wayward pass meant for Bruno Fernandes on the touchline out for a throw. Onwards and upwards.
United get the ball rolling. Saints are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.
The teams are out! Manchester United in their red, white and black, Southampton in second-choice yellow and black. A cracking evening atmosphere at Old Trafford. Weâll be off in a couple of minutes. Incidentally itâs still goalless at Portman Road between Ipswich and Brighton.
Southampton manager Ivan JuriÄ speaks to TNT. âWe played well [against Swansea] ⦠we can repeat and play well again ⦠we have to be perfect against Manchester United ⦠press well, play forward, have personality to play from the back ⦠they are a great team with great players and it will be very tough.â
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim talks to TNT. âThe feeling is a little bit different [after the results against Liverpool and Arsenal] ⦠it is going to be a tough match at home ⦠our fans expect more from us and that is extra pressure ⦠but we are ready to face the game in the right way ⦠we have to be better with the ball ⦠control the game ⦠last game we were not better with the ball ⦠we try to improve ⦠Harry [Maguire] is tired ⦠he had a tough week and was ill but still played ⦠I think Southampton will play without a striker but more speed ⦠Leny [Yoro] is quick and a top talent ⦠he is ready to play ⦠in this stadium [Southampton] donât have the pressure ⦠the pressure is on our team ⦠they have very good players ⦠I want to see my team play very good football for the fans to enjoy.â
Manchester United have lost their last three games at home: 2-3 v Nottingham Forest, 0-3 v Bournemouth and 0-2 v Newcastle United. If they lose tonight to extend that run to four, itâll be their worst league sequence at Old Trafford in the top flight since 1930, when they lost the final game of the 1929-30 season 1-5 v Sheffield Wednesday, then started their 1930-31 home campaign thus â¦
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3-4 v Aston Villa
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0-6 v Huddersfield Town
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4-7 v Newcastle United
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0-2 v Grimsby Town
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1-2 v Arsenal
⦠so theyâve still got a way to go if theyâre to break new ground there. Pressureâs off. Incidentally, that 1930-31 season was by far the most risible in Unitedâs history â they lost their first dozen matches straight â and thereâs a bit more about it in the second entry of this.
Going into tonightâs fixtures, the Premier League table looks like this. Not particularly great reading for Manchester United supporters; thoroughly painful viewing for Southampton fans. The other game this evening is Ipswich Town v Brighton & Hove Albion (7.30pm) which weâll keep you posted about.
Manchester United make three changes to their starting XI after the FA Cup win at Arsenal. André Onana reclaims his place in goal at Emirates hero Altay Bayındırâs expense, while Leny Yoro and Amad Diallo step up, Harry Maguire drops to the bench, and Diogo Dalot misses out through suspension after his red card last weekend.
Southampton make one change to the team that swatted aside Swansea City 3-0 in the Cup. Yukinari Sugawara comes in for Ryan Manning, who drops to the bench.
The teams
Manchester United: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Yoro, Diallo, Ugarte, Mainoo, Garnacho, Fernandes, Hojlund.
Subs: Bayindir, Kukonki, Maguire, Malacia, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Antony, Zirkzee.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Bree, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Aribo, Walker-Peters, Dibling, Sulemana.
Subs: McCarthy, Manning, Wood, Smallbone, Downes, Lallana, Armstrong, Archer, Onuachu.
Preamble
Yes, yes, all the humorists are calling it a relegation battle. But letâs be serious, so never mind them. Not that Manchester United are doing well, exactly, down in the not-recently-charted waters of 15th spot. But a win tonight over the doomed Saints would spring them up to 12th, and within swinging distance of the top half of the table. Thin gruel for a club of Unitedâs stature and history, but this is where they are right now, though a couple of street-fighting results against big rivals in Liverpool and Arsenal have got Ruben Amorim and his men looking upwards towards the light once more. Rock-bottom Southampton, who have lost 12 of their last 15 Premier League matches, winning just one, and were beaten 3-0 by United on their own turf back in September, will most likely settle for a dignified defeat. Then again, football being what it is, you never know, and the Saints have given the Red Devils an unexpected bloody nose more than once before, as this retro edition of the Joy of Six illustrates. Kick-off at Old Trafford is at 8pm GMT. Itâs on!