De Ligt delight as United quell the crisis . . . for now

Matthijs De Ligt did not last beyond half-time playing for Holland in the small matter of their clash with Germany on Tuesday, yet in football’s relentless cycle of games there is always another shot at redemption coming soon.

The Manchester United defender scored his first goal for his new club at St Mary’s just four days after being replaced at half-time by Ronald Koeman to protect him from further errors. That mercy substitution was, as is the Dutch way, bluntly revealed by Koeman in the aftermath and so De Ligt arrived in Southampton as a casualty of two poor Nations League performances.

His header from Bruno Fernandes’ cross was the second key moment in the game for United, the first of two goals in six minutes that changed the course of the match. The first being Andre Onana’s penalty save from Cameron Archer, the first penalty of the 22-year-old’s senior career, that served as the game’s watershed. For those first 35 minutes, Southampton had been excellent and then – as quickly as it had arrived – so their confidence was gone.

For Erik ten Hag it will have been a relief to see another manager wrestling with the kind of unfortunate events that have often beset the Dutchman. Russell Martin went from those two United goals to a second-half performance from his players that was much less effective than the first, a red card for his captain Jack Stephens and a third goal conceded late on. Southampton have lost their first four games and the pressure is on.

For United, who have broken their own streak of two defeats, some respite. “We got the momentum, you see how small the margins are,” Ten Hag said. “[Against] Brighton we score a goal, and it’s crazy it’s disallowed. Today we concede a penalty, and a couple of minutes later we score a goal. From that moment on, it was our game.”

Was he worried about the performance that had preceded the penalty? “I’m not worried. We have to find a foothold in the game. That’s every game, especially away from home. It’s a learning for this team how to do it.”

It was the smallest of steps for United, and for Marcus Rashford who scored his first goal of the season with what was not even his best effort of the game. A right-foot shot from the left that Aaron Ramsdale saw late and rolled in the corner. De Ligt’s header had come from a short corner to Fernandes who benefited from a different angle and picked out his man well. “Not exactly a point to prove,” De Ligt said in light of his Holland performances. “Sometimes it doesn’t go as well as you want but you have to look at the positive side.”

It was notable that United found themselves pinned back by Saints’ confident possession right up to the penalty. Only in the second half did Ten Hag’s players press higher up the pitch and benefit from that approach. Diogo Dalot was well beaten by the 18-year-old Tyler Dibling, a talented Devonian winger, who attacked the left flank with his right foot and suckered his more experienced opponent into a silly challenge.

Martin: Penalty miss ‘on me’

At that point it felt like Saints had control. Martin said later that although Ben Brereton Díaz has scored seven penalties over the course of his longer career, it had been decided that Archer would take them and the older of the pair had agreed. “It’s on me,” said the Saints manager, who was a little raw at the outcome.

He believes unequivocally in the team’s approach. “I played five years in the Premier League and I didn’t have any moments like the ones they [his players] have had in their games,” he said. His job is to keep the mood high, although it can be hard.

He said that the decision for Stephens’ red card for a high boot on the substitute Alejandro Garnacho had been made by the fourth official Gavin Ward. Martin said that he saw referee Stuart Atwell make eye contact with Ward in the aftermath, and the latter said “I would”, by way of advice.

The missed penalty, Martin said, “completely changed the energy in the stadium and we didn’t respond well.” He substituted Dibling, who had cramp, and was booed by some of the home fans. “I didn’t want to take him off,” Martin said. “he was struggling.”

But this was Ten Hag’s day. Rashford’s first goal after his struggles against Liverpool before the international break may offer some encouragement for a player to whom Ten Hag has remained loyal. “There was too much negativity towards him [Rashford],” Ten Hag said in reference to the Liverpool game. “He created two great chances in that game. In other games this season he has played very well.” He talked about the goals Rashford has scored for United over his career and there seemed to be an appetite to mend whatever has been wrong.

United got there in the end, and Garnacho’s late goal meant that other opportunities could be forgotten. Amid all the Southampton pressure, an early chance for Joshua Zirkzee should have been buried. The Dutch striker also needs goals. Garnacho was left out for tactical reasons, United indicated, as opposed to an injudicious ‘like’ on Instagram. His replacement Amad Diallo has certainly justified his place.

United still conspired to end the game with Jonny Evans at left-back and three of their original back four substituted. Manuel Ugarte made his debut as another substitute and was given a kick by Adam Lallana to mark the occasion. The pair were still discussing it at full-time. United are back out of crisis for now.

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A big three points for Ten Hag and Man Utd: as it happened

02:44 PM BST

More from De Ligt...

02:33 PM BST

Man of the match De Ligt speaks

02:30 PM BST

Full time: Southampton 0 Manchester United 3

A bright half-hour from the home side but then their naivety and a nervy penalty destroyed their chances. Zero points from four games for Saints, six for Manchester United who didn’t break sweat in the second half nor have to play at full pelt.

02:26 PM BST

GOAL!

Southampton 0 Man Utd 3 (Garnacho)  Casemiro stands still and rolls the ball down the right for Dalot. Harwood-Bellis plays him onside and the full-back cuts it back to Garnacho who rams a rising shot in under the cross-bar.

02:26 PM BST

90+5 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Now Maguire is limping from what looks like a dead leg.

02:25 PM BST

90+4 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Manchester United corner on the left seen off by Southampton without drama.

02:22 PM BST

90+2 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Chance for Zirkzee after United run rings round Southampton down the right with Amad and Dalot. He took a touch to trap the pass and then tried to pass it into the bottom right corner but Harwood-Bellis stuck out a leg to knock it clear with Ramsdale diving the other way.

Four more minutes of stoppage time to come.

02:20 PM BST

89 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

United just biding their time and making Southampton run with their passing, not afraid of its circularity.

02:17 PM BST

87 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Casemiro comes on for De Ligt and slots in at centre-half alongside Maguire.

02:16 PM BST

85 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

De Ligt is struggling and United send Casemiro down the touchline to warm up.

02:15 PM BST

83 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Southampton’s substitutions haven’t changed the tenor of the game by one note. Their hearts dropped into their boots after missing the penalty and they haven’t landed a blow asince. Not one shot.

02:12 PM BST

80 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Russell Martin is also booked for protesting. You catch someone on the knee with your studs when you’re sliding and out of control, what do you expect?

Harwood-Bellis on to plug the gap at centre-back. Off goes Mateus Fernandes.

02:09 PM BST

78 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Stephens is sent off for a sliding tackle on Garnacho because his foot plants into the winger’s knee. Fully deserved.

02:07 PM BST

75 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Sugawara frees Cornet down the right. The former Burnley winger jinks and lines up Martinez but the Argentina defender watches the ball and not the feet and wins the duel.

That’s the end for Martinez. Evans is coming on to replace him. Not east to play left-back at 36 when you’re a centre-half.

02:04 PM BST

73 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Triple Manchester United substitution: On come Maguire, Garnacho and Ugarte for Mazraoui, Rashford and Eriksen.

Martinez is staying on and moving to left-back with Dalot switching.

02:02 PM BST

71 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Ugarte and Maguire are stripped and ready to come on. Martinez is limping.

02:01 PM BST

70 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

01:58 PM BST

68 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Southampton need the ball to make the changes effective but can’t get hold of it. Bruno Fernandes is booked for delaying a restart by booting the ball away.

01:57 PM BST

66 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

United are in no rush and are hogging the ball at the back. happy to knock it around and probe until the right pass is on.

01:54 PM BST

64 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Southampton make four changes: Lallana, Cornet, Stewart and Fraser replace Ugochukwu, Brereton-Diaz, Archer and Dibling.

01:52 PM BST

62 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Fine save from Ramsdale as Rashford, the United forward’s dander up after a long meek spell. It was a right-foot, bending, dipping shot from 20 yards that Ramsdale dives to palm over. Rashford should have another corner after being held off by Downes from the first but the ref awards a goal-kick.

01:49 PM BST

59 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Strong, sliding tackle from Stephens on Bruno Fernandes after Mazraoui combined with Dallo to play the United captain into the box down the right.

01:48 PM BST

57 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Eriksen is getting on the ball a lot since the break, playing almost as an inside-left at times but covering a lot of ground.

01:46 PM BST

54 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Amad bombs down the right and picks out Zirkzee in the D. The centre-forward shifts the ball through Stephens’ legs and tries to do the same to Walker-Peters who beats him to it and the left-back thumps a clearance into Mazraoui that rebounds loopily for Ramsdale to cover comfortably.

01:42 PM BST

52 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Eriksen picks out De Ligt from the corner but Ramsdale reads the flight and comes out to smother the effort.

01:42 PM BST

50 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Downes’ crafty back-heel sends Sugawara surging on the underlap, making 50 yards down the inside right before conceding a free-kick.

Mainoo passes it to Eriksen down the left of centre and the Denmark captain rolls a pass outside to Rashford who faces Bednarek up and tries to bed a shot around him but it takes a deflection and loops over for a cirner.

01:39 PM BST

48 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Martinez reads the pass from Downes intended for Archer, picks it off and starts a counter that sends Mazraoui marauding up the right. Zirkzee and Rashford are yelling for the pass across goal when he makes it into the box but he hits a disguised shot instead... into the side-netting.

01:36 PM BST

46 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

No changes. Southampton kick off and Ramsdale slides a pass to Fernandes in the centre-circle after the ball was passes back to him. United are all over them though and win the ball back until Zirkzee’s heavy touch gives it vack to Sugawara.

01:25 PM BST

If you refresh the page

The videos of the goals and the penalty save should now be there.

01:21 PM BST

Half-time: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Hardly ‘smash and grab’ because Southampton left the back door wide open for both goals but had Saints knocked in that penalty and walked in 1-0 up at half-time, it would have been a pretty fair reflection of a good half-hour. But halves are more than half an hour ...

01:18 PM BST

45+2 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Four minutes of added time and all you can hear are the Man Utd fans now as the home supporters have been floored by two sucker punches.

01:17 PM BST

45 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 2

Southampton are reeling now. They’re all over the shop at set-pieces and keep leaving players free to play the second ball. Now De Ligt almost creeps in from a Fernandes corner and only Ramsdale’s alertness saves them. They’re hobbling all the good work they do down the flanks with some doziness at defending corners.

01:12 PM BST

GOAL!

Southampton 0-2 Man Utd (Rashford)  Once again Southampton leave a man unmarked at the edge of the area from a corner and this time it’s Rashford who threads a right-foot shot through a crowded box into the bottom right corner.

01:11 PM BST

39 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 1

Rashford breaks down the inside-right after Southampton overcommit and Downes slips at the crucial moment to trigger the counter. Ramsdale saves at the price of a corner.

01:05 PM BST

GOAL!

Southampton 0-1 Man Utd (De Ligt)  Ramsdale’s save from Zirkzee’s 25-yard daisycutter which was sneaking inside the left post gives Southampton a corner. They work the ball short to Fernandes unmarked and he arcs the perfect inswinging cross for De Ligt to bury from the right of the spot into the left bottom corner.

01:05 PM BST

33 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

The VAR check and Onana’s gamesmanship to pause for a water break, walking out of his goal, ramped up the pressure on Archer who stood there with the ball on the spot for 50 seconds before taking the shot.

01:03 PM BST

Saved!

Archer took an age to take it and rolled it to Onana’s left. He made a smart save and then blocked the effort from the rebound, too.

01:02 PM BST

Southampton penalty

VAR check to see if the foul on Dibling from Dalot was inside the box or not. His sliding tackle legged up the dribbling winger who accelerated from a standing start.

01:00 PM BST

30 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Sugawara with the free-kick from the right picks out the unmarked Ugochukwu who heads it over. Should have scored. Should have been marked. At the other end Ramsdale gobbles up Amad’s tame, scuffed shot from 20 yards.

12:59 PM BST

28 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Yellow card for Mainoo for hand ball after tangling with Ugochukwu on halfway and knocking the ball away when he hit the deck.

12:58 PM BST

26 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Downes threads a pass down the inside-right for Sugawara on the underlap nut his cross flies across the penalty area and United clear.

12:57 PM BST

23 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

De Ligt, who cleared Walker-Peters’ pull-back a couple of minutes ago, now hooks away a right-wing cross from Sugawara, facing his own goal, as it was arrowing towards Archer at the back post. United’s full-backs are constantly being overloaded.

12:53 PM BST

21 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Ten Hag calls Mainoo and Eriksen over to give them some instructions. TNT Sports speculates that he told them to get tighter together.

12:51 PM BST

19 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Walker-Peters diddles Mazraoui and De Ligt high on the Southampton left, skates along the byline into the box but can’t pick out Archer and United clear, setting Bruno Fernandes off on a run up the inside left when picked out by Mazraoui’s pass. But he can’t squeeze his left-foot shot through Bednarek’s legs and on target.

12:48 PM BST

17 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Manchester United corner on the right that Sugawara heads away straight to Mazraoui who hits a first-time volley from 18 yards straight down Ramsdale’s throat.

12:46 PM BST

14 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Chance for Zirkzee after good work from Amad down the right to beat Walker-Peters and pick out Eriksen who lines up Stephens  and bends a pass inside him, inches ahead of Zirkzee’s lunge eight yards out.

12:45 PM BST

12 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Southampton continue to trouble Manchester United who keep giving the ball away. It takes a smart tackle from De Ligt to stop Archer who was trying to roll him on the left side of the box. The lack of a defensive midfielder is leaving Man Utd wide open when Saints overload. It also gives them an opportunity to turn the ball over and spark rapid counters but it’s a risky set-up out of possession and a risky one for Sainst if they lose the ball with so many runners ahead of it.

12:41 PM BST

9 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Southampton have got the crowd going with some slick passing and with Fernandes and Dibling double-teaming the overloaded Dalot. Brereton-Diaz knocks it into the channel down the left with Archer looking to run past De Ligt having lurked on his shoulder but Onana rapidly comes off his line to mop up.

12:38 PM BST

7 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Onana dives to his right to claw away Dibling’s left-foot curler after a terrific run down the right. He beats Dalot, cuts in and shoots and Onana has to make a very good safe. He’s a fine dribbler Dibling, socks slung low a la Grealish and meaty calves.

12:37 PM BST

5 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Mainoo, Mazraoui and De Ligt form a triangle to work the ball between them and back to Onana who switches play and finds Dalot. The left-back triggers a run from Rashford who tries to take on Stephens one-on-one but can’t beat him. Southampton clearly happy to boot ot out from the back if the easy pass is not on when pressed by United’s 4-2-4 without the ball.

12:34 PM BST

3 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Martinez and De Ligt play it across the back four and back to Onana. Southampton, who are being pressed, only starting to have a bit of possession but when they roll it back to Ramsdale the keeper pumps a long pass into touch.

12:32 PM BST

1 min: Southampton 0 Man Utd 0

Manchester United kick off, attacking from right to left and roll it back to boot it long, diagonally up the left touchline. Rashford tries to link up with Dalot and gets ahead of the Saints right-back but only because Dalot was holding on to Sugawara’s shirt.

12:28 PM BST

The players are out

Saints in red and white stripes, black shorts and red socks, Man Utd in royal blue.

12:20 PM BST

Erik ten Hag on his midfield selection

12:06 PM BST

Mateus Fernandes

Was signed from Sporting for about £15 million and his sale was bitterly opposed by a lot of Sporting fans. He’s a 20-year-old box-to-box midfielder who can thread passes in to the centre-forward and had a £60 million release clause in his contract which makes it odd that Sporting sold him for such a small fee.

11:59 AM BST

Lovely from Peter Crouch

First ‘This is Manchester United we’re talking about’ of the day, when discussing whether a top-four finish is a realistic ambition.

11:52 AM BST

Russell Martin talks to TNT Sports

11:43 AM BST

Never too early to press the ‘must-win’ button

11:39 AM BST

Ugarte watch

Given the Uruguay midfielder played 79 minutes in a goalless draw with Paraguay in Montevideo last Saturday and the full 90 of another 0-0 draw with Venezuela in Maturin on Tuesday, it’s understandable that he starts on the bench. Still a disappointment for United fans but it makes sense.

11:29 AM BST

And now for those of you watching in black and white

Southampton  Ramsdale; Sugawara, Bednarek, Stephens, Walker-Peters; Downes; Ugochukwu, Fernandes, Dibling; Archer, Brereton Diaz.

Substitutes McCarthy, Harwood-Bellis, Taylor, Fraser, Lallana, Aribo, Cornet, Armstrong, Stewart.

Manchester United  Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Eriksen, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee.

Substitutes  Bayindir, Evans, Maguire, Casemiro, Collyer, Ugarte, Antony, Garnacho, Wheatley.

Referee Stuart Attwell (Nuneaton)

11:20 AM BST

Saints make four changes

Out go Aribo, Smallbone, Armstrong and Harwood-Bellis. In come Dibling, Fernandes, Archer and Ugochukwu. Looks like a back four, too.

11:17 AM BST

Man Utd make two changes

Eriksen, and not Ugarte, in for Casemiro, Amad for Garnacho:

11:16 AM BST

Preview

Good morning and welcome to live coverage of Southampton, currently 19th after three defeats at the start of the season following their promotion via the play-offs, and Manchester United, 14th after back-to-back defeats by Brighton and that gubbing at Liverpool’s hands a fortnight ago. Solitary goal reverses by Newcastle and Nottingham Forest had enough in them to give Saints’ hope but I thought they were callow and anaemic against Brentford which would give great grounds for concern however admirable the commitment of the manager, Russell Martin, to his vision of attacking, creative, passing football.

United, the Gloria Swanson of the Greed is Good League as it was so memorably condemned by Brian Glanville, have dominated the sports channels, social media and newspapers for most of the season already, as they usually do as they lurch from one spot in their 11-year doom loop of despair and hope, nadir and redemption, after their truly terrible performance at Old Trafford against Liverpool when Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo conspired to shoot themselves in the foot. The lack of viable and straightforward options when on the ball to pass forward two years into the Erik ten Hag project are undermining anything positive he has achieved.

This fixture has produced some memorable matches in cup finals and on the South Coast, none more than the great grey kit debacle, 2001 when Marian Pahars scored the winner and 2005 when United sent Harry Redknapp’s team down on the last day. Southampton have not beaten United at St Mary’s since 2003. It’s high time that was put right but i fear that Saints and the way they play are prone to making even more mistakes than their visitors.