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Ashley Young was back on the field for Manchester United in midweek. (Getty)
Final Score
Southampton 1-1 — 2
Manchester United 1-2 — 3
A pair of goals from Anthony Martial and one from Juan Mata gave Manchester United a 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday at St. Mary’s.
Martial’s brace and Mata’s goal rallied United from an early 1-0 deficit, but a goal from Graziano Pelle in the 86th minute ensured a nervy finish. Red Devils goalie David de Gea had to make a pair of saves in injury time to preserve all three points.
Southampton got two goals from Pele and controlled long spells of the match, but sloppy defending and the individual brilliance of the wonderkid Martial proved to be the difference.
United are up to second in the EPL after the win, two points behind rival Manchester City.
Check below for stats and highlights of the match.
Stats
Goals: Southampton: Graziano Pelle (14′, 86′); Manchester United: Anthony Martial (34′, 50′), Juan Mata (68′)
Shots (On Goal): Southampton 12 (5 on goal), Manchester United 10 (3 on goal)
Tackles: Southampton 20, Manchester United 13
Fouls: Southampton 6, Manchester United 12
Possession: Southampton 41%, Manchester United 59%
Cards: Virgil van Dijk (73′), Jose Miguel Fonte (78′)
Attendance: 31,588
Lineups
Southampton: Stekelenburg, Yoshida, Fonte, van Dijk, Targett, Wanyama, Romeu, Mané, Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Pellè
Manchester United: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Rojo, Blind, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Mata, Memphis, Rooney, Martial.
Graziano Pelle Scored for Southampton Early in the Match
Manchester United goalie David de Gea made a fantastic save initially, but the rebound fell to Graziano Pelle and he made no mistake in scoring his 15th Premier League goal and giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.
Anthony Martial Equalized for Manchester United in the 34th Minute
Anthony Martial continued his hot start for Manchester United, getting a goal off a scramble against the run of play to tie the match at 1-1. He’s now scored two in two Premier League matches, though it appears Juan Mata was offside on the play.
Martial Gave Manchester United the Lead in the 50th Minute
Poor defending from Southampton gifted the red-hot Martial an easy chance, which he made no mistake in converting for his second goal of the match.
De Gea Made a Stunning Save to Deny a Southampton Goal
Southampton responded well to the goal and nearly made it 2-2 in the second half, but de Gea made a save to keep this shot out.
Mata Made it 3-1 With a 68th Minute Goal
Though Martial missed a hat trick by an inch when he hit the post, Mata cashed in on the rebound to make it 3-1.
Pelle Pulled a Goal Back Late
Southampton came back into the match with an 86th minute goal from Pelle, his second of the match. It was an excellent cross from Sadio Mane, who perfectly picked out Pelle.
Preview: Manchester United Journey to the South Coast
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West Brom and Southampton drew 0-0 last weekend. (Getty)
Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will be fit to face Southampton after recovering from a hamstring injury that cost him appearances against Liverpool and PSV in the Red Devils’ last two matches.
Phil Jones — coming off an injury himself — will also be called into the lineup as part of a reshuffled defense after the injury suffered by Luke Shaw in midweek. Though it was feared he may miss the entire season, the prognosis now is that he might only miss six months and return to the squad for the stretch run.
The serious investment in the squad over the last two years has cushioned the blow of the recent list of injuries. Marcus Rojo replaced Shaw in the PSV match and there are several other options, too.
Southampton doesn’t have the luxury of overcoming the injury bug. Goalie Fraser Foster and Ryan Bertrand are long-term causalities.
