Sir Alex Ferguson watched in anguish as Manchester United continue their dismal form, following a sapping draw against Southampton.
It was another frustrating evening for Jose Mourinho and his men as the Red Devils constantly failed to create an opening against a sturdy Southampton defence. Romelu Lukaku’s early departure due to injury just somehow made it even worse for the Manchester giants, who will be hoping for his quick recovery within the coming weeks.
The draw helped Chelsea climb up to the second spot with United falling to the third position. Southampton, on the other hand, despite experiencing their longest winless streak in the top flight since 2004, will relish the one point.
Here are the Manchester United players rated in their draw against the Saints.
David de Gea (8.5/10): Made a couple of world class saves to prevent Southampton from scoring the opener. His save to deny Shane Long, in particular, was a joy to watch.
Ashley Young (7.5/10): Struggled to defend the likes of Sam McQueen and Sofiane Boufal and could also be penalised for his elbow on Dusan Tadic by the English FA. However, the 32-year-old looked very confident in his runs forward, often putting in some dangerous crosses.
Victor Lindelof (7/10): Was introduced into the starting lineup after resting in midweek’s game, Lindelof failed to make good use of his chances as he was often overwhelmed by the attacking presence of Sofiane Boufal and Shane Long throughout the ninety minutes.
Phil Jones (7.5/10): Played better than his defensive partner but still struggled at times to defend against the sharp Southampton attack.
Luke Shaw (7/10): Looked very promising in the first half, where he was involved in most of United’s offensive moments. However, he followed that up with a clumsy second half, filled with woeful passes, loss of concentration and defensive mishaps.
Nemanja Matic (7.5/10): Tried to marshall the middle third of the pitch with his physicality but lacked the support from his teammates.
Paul Pogba (6.5/10): Failed to make his presence felt in the centre of the field as the Frenchman was hardly involved in any of United’s promising attacking moments. He was tightly marked by the opposing midfielders.
Juan Mata (7.5/10): Linked up well with fellow teammates in the attacking third. His short passes and quick plays were a joy to watch. However, that wasn’t enough to deter this highly disciplined Southampton backline.
Jesse Lingard (7.5/10): A barren night for the English International who struggled with lack of endeavour and some tight marking from the opposing defender. Was involved in that crucial handball shout on Maya Yoshida which was rejected by the ref.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (6/10): Looked out of touch as he lacked self-belief and confidence to make full use of his opportunity. Constantly failed to provide that attacking spark in the offensive department. He might be on his way out of Old Trafford in the upcoming January window.
Romelu Lukaku (NA): His clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt proved to be detrimental for Manchester United. Although the medical staff reports that the injury is far less damaging than it usually seemed, the Belgian is still expected to be out on the sidelines for a few weeks, it seems.
Subs
Marcus Rashford (7/10): Failed to properly replace Romelu Lukaku as the youngster lacked the physical presence and also had a hard time keeping control of the ball, due to the tight marking.
Anthony Martial (7/10): His introduction in the second half made a lot of sense for Manchester United as he quickly brought on more dynamism in the attacking third. However, his influence faded away as the game wore on.
