That win takes United up to seventh, five points behind the leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. This season they’ve gone behind in all four away games and won them all with late goals.
Full time: Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Peep peep! For the first time in their history, Manchester United have won eight consecutive league games away from home. They were 2-0 down at half-time, but Edinson Cavani came off the bench to make one and score two in an exhilarating second half.
90+4 min Fernandes has a chance to make it four, spanking over the bar on the turn.
The substitute Edinson Cavani has made one and scored two! The goal stemmed from a free-kick35 yards from goal, which Fernandes clipped to the unmarked Rashford on the left. He fizzed a cross towards the near post, where Cavani stooped to flick an accomplished header past McCarthy. That is a seriously good goal, not just the finish but also the timing of the run.
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GOAL! Southampton 2-3 Man Utd (Cavani 90+2)
The big man has won it!
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90+1 min Fernandes tries to chip McCarthy from 30 yards. It’s a tame effort and McCarthy is able to watch it onto the roof of the net.
90 min Five minutes of added time.
90 min A change for Southampton: Stuart Armstrong is replaced by Ibrahima Diallo.
89 min Wan-Bissaka appeals unsuccesfully for a penalty when his cross hits Bertrand. His arms were tight to his body and VAR supports Jon Moss’s original decision.
88 min The corner is headed away by Adams.
87 min Rashford plays a good pass to find van de Beek, whose low cross is put behind by Vestergaard.
86 min Maguire is aggrieved to be penalised for a tackle on Adams 40 yards from goal. Ward-Prowse’s dipping free-kick is headed away by Maguire.
85 min Fernandes leads a dangerous United break and finds Rashford on the edge of the area. He eschews the first-time shot and instead tries to play in Fred, but the pass is too heavy and Fred can’t reach it. He was also offside.
84 min United make their final change: Brandon Williams replaces Alex Telles, who had an okay game.
83 min Lots of pressure from United now, with Fernandes involved in everything. Southampton still look dangerous enough on the break, though, so this could still go either way.
81 min Only one team looks like winning this game, and it’s not Romania.
80 min Five of the last seven games between these sides have been drawn, so this scoreline wouldn’t be a complete shock.
79 min A half chance for Adams. Bertrand’s cross is headed up in the air by Telles and collected by Adams. He turns smartly and drives a low shot just wide of the far post. Henderson probably had it covered but it was a decent effort.
76 min “Morning Rob,” says Adam Roberts. “I was very dubious about the signing of Cavani, but he’s looked pretty good whenever I’ve seen him. And I like the look of young Henderson ‘between the sticks’.”
The same. Cavani is better - and hungrier - than I thought.
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75 min Fernandes plays in van de Beek on the left of the area. He gets a bit too cute and tries to return the ball to Fernandes, allowing Southampton to clear. The better option was surely a cross-shot.
Telles’s corner was punched away to Fred on the edge of ther area. He teed up Fernandes, whose shot took a deflection and ricocheted towards Cavani in the six-yard box. He threw himself at the ball and headed emphatically past McCarthy. Southampton thought he was offside, but for some reason Vestergaard did not push out with his team-mates and was playing Cavani on.
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GOAL! Southampton 2-2 Man Utd (Cavani 74)
Edinson Cavani has equalised!
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73 min United are having more of the ball now, though Southampton still look reasonably comfortable in defence.
72 min A change for Southampton: Shane Long replaces Moussa Djenepo, which means Walcott will move to the left wing.
72 min Fernandes’s corner is headed away at the near post.
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71 min Wan-Bissaka runs at Djenepo and Bertrand to win a corner for United...
69 min: Just wide from Cavani! That was a fine effort, a flicked header from Wan-Bissaka’s cross. It looked too high for Cavani but he stayed in the air for an age, Denis Law-style, and almost steered the header into the top corner.
68 min The second corner is headed away by Telles.
67 min Ward-Prowse’s corner is headed away well by Cavani. The ball comes to Armstrong, whose long-range shot deflects behind for another corner.
65 min Che Adams has had a fine game for Southampton, especially holding the ball up. He has improved so much in the last few months.
63 min Djenepo shoots well wide from the edge of the area.
62 min Bruno Fernandes, bloody hell. United would be lost without him.
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Wan-Bissaka started the move by finding Cavani in space on the right. He curled a jaunty cross into Fernandes, who was in far too much space 10 yards from goal. Fernandes had time to control the ball, turn and drive a low shot past McCarthy.
GOAL! Southampton 2-1 Manchester United (Fernandes 59)
United are back in it!
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57 min Bednarek is receiving treatment after colliding with Djenepo when they threw themselves in front of Cavani.
56 min Another chance for United. Fernandes’s cross from the right leads to a scramble in the penalty area until Cavani’s shot on the turn is deflected over the bar.
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54 min Replays suggest Rashford was offside, so had he scored the goal would have been disallowed. It was still a poor finish though.
52 min: Good save by McCarthy! Out of nothing, Fernandes puts Rashford through on goal in the inside-left channel. His shot is well struck but too close to McCarthy, who stays big to make a good save. It was a glorious pass from Fernandes.
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52 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I know you’ll not hear of anyone but Liverpool winning the title this season, but a genuine question - might Southampton be this season’s Leicester? It would be quite some story (again).”
No. You’re welcome! I’d love it if they did, though, as they’re a very likeable side. Everything points to Ralph Hasenhuttl being a brilliant coach; he might be a contender for the Man Utd job when it becomes available.
51 min Southampton have started the second half really well, with most of the game being played in United’s half.
49 min A long-range shot from Walcott is comfortably held by Henderson.
48 min I haven’t a clue what formation United are playing now. It looks a bit like a 4-4-2 with Fernandes on the left and van de Beek on the right.
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47 min Djenepo finds Walcott in a bit of space on the right side of the area. He has a touch and drives a crisp shot that is authoritatively held by Henderson.
46 min Peep peep! The game has kicked off with Cavani still putting his boots on by the touchline. Roy Keane will love that.
David de Gea has gone off at half-time with the knee injury he suffered in trying to save Ward-Prowse’s free-kick. Dean Henderson replaces him. It’s his Premier League debut for (Manchester) United. In fact United have made a double substitition: Edinson Cavani is on for Mason Greenwood.
“I haven’t formed a firm opinion on Telles, but in truth I didn’t really understand why Utd went for him,” says Francis Mead. “I’m personally a big fan of Brandon Williams, who I think is considerably better than Shaw. Yes, he needs a bit more experience, but he’s fast, highly technical and confident. Why not simply let Williams play?”
I don’t think he’s good enough either. He was really dynamic when he first came into the team but as the season went on he became far too safe in possession; I’ve no idea why. He’s also a right-footed left-back, which is not what United need if Rashford or Martial play in front of him. Maybe he could play at right-back, I don’t know.
As things stand, Southampton are third in the table. And United are 14th.
“I feel like VDB has played well, but this United formation does not work,” says Mark Childs. “No width, not enough space for Bruno, nowhere for Greenwood and Rashford to run into: overly simplistic?”
A little bit, I’d say, but I know what you mean. The lack of width is a recurring problem, and the early signs are that Alex Telles isn’t going to solve it.
Half-time reading
Half time: Southampton 2-0 Man Utd
Peep peep! Southampton are in control thanks to the latest demonstrations of James Ward-Prowse’s set-piece brilliance. He dropped a corner onto Jan Bednarek’s head for the first goal and scored the second with a precise free-kick. United started superbly but have struggled since going behind.
45+1 min Rashford goes down right on the edge of the area after a tackle from Djenepo. Jon Moss isn’t interested, nor is VAR as it was just outside the area.
44 min “If only someone had alerted United that Southampton have a dead-ball expert in their ranks,” says Duncan Edwards. “So bloody predictable.”
40 min Fernandes drives a golf shot over the defence to find van de Beek on the edge of the area. He tries to cushion a header towards Rashford but gets too much on it and the ball runs through to McCarthy. That was half a chance. It looks like United have switched to a 4-2-3-1 with van de Beek on the left and Greenwood on the right.
36 min “Are we absolutely sure the kit isn’t grey?” says Richard Hirst.
Ha. They actually started really well, though they’ve been a mess since going behind.
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35 min That was a mistake from de Gea, a woolly save from Djenepo’s long-range shot that almost gave Armstrong a tap-in. Armstrong tried to control it on the chest but the ball ran out of play. In fairness to de Gea, he’s struggling with his left leg and may have to come off. His knee thumped into the post when he tried to save Ward-Prowse’s free-kick.
It was an excellent free-kick from Ward-Prowse, clipped over the wall towards the near post. David de Gea flew to his right and got a good hand on the ball, but he couldn’t keep it out. At first I thought it might be a mistake from de Gea; on reflection I don’t think so. Ward-Prowse put it right in the corner, and if anything de Gea did well to get a touch on it.
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GOAL! Southampton 2-0 Man Utd (Ward-Prowse 33)
He’s done it again!
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32 min Djenepo is fouled this far outside the area by Fred. It’s a fair way to the left of centre, but still within shooting range for Ward-Prowse.
30 min: McCarthy makes a great save from Fernandes! How did that stay out? It started when McCarthy played a dreadful pass, straight to Greenwood 30 yards from goal. He ran into the D and blasted a low shot that McCarthy could only push away as far as Fernandes. He seemed certain to score, but McCarthy plunged to his right to make a brilliant save at full stretch.
28 min Djenepo dances past Fernandes and then Telles in the area before cutting the ball back towards the six-yard line. A United defender boots it behind for another corner. Ward-Prowse swings it in and Fernandes clears.
27 min: Walker-Peters hits the post! It’s all happening now. Adams plays a good square pass to find Walker-Peters in space, 25 yards out. He moves into the area and drives a low shot that takes a deflection off Telles and spins onto the outside of the post.
25 min United have conceded the first goal in all their away league games this season. They won the first three; now they need to go to the well again.
24 min Southampton’s injury-time equaliser at Old Trafford in July also came from a wicked Ward-Prowse corner.
Ward-Prowse’s corner was a beauty, curled at pace towards the near post. Bednarek got between Rashford and Telles in the six-yard box and flicked a simple header past de Gea.
GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Man Utd (Bednarek 23)
And it leads to a goal!
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23 min Ward-Prowse’s excellent free-kick is headed behind by Lindelof. Ward-Prowse jogs across to take the corner...
21 min “Hiya Rob,” says Adam Kline-Schoder. “I was lucky enough to see Ajax live pre-exodus a couple years back. De Jong and de Ligt were immense, but Van de Beek was quietly brilliant. He was a true box-to-box midfielder; I remember him both dropping back to receive the ball from Onana inside his own box alongside de Jong, and also making the late run into the opposition box to score. I’m not seeing that same level of dynamism from him at United, which (as a Southampton fan) for today is great, but in the long run is something by which I’m disappointed because he was sublime a few years ago. Do you think that’s a ‘lack of game time and will improve if he’s allowed to settle’ type of thing, or a ‘United’s midfield is a bit suspect so he needs to be more positionally disciplined’ type of thing?”
It’s hard to know at this stage, especially as he has started so few games. It’s probably a bit of both.
19 min Southampton are struggling to get out of their half. It’s been a surprisingly one-sided game so far.
18 min “On the picture at the top of the blog, the Utd strip could almost look grey,” says Richard Hirst. “Or am I just being hopeful?”
I thought that as well, but apparently it’s legacy green and black.
17 min Ward-Prowse has been booked for a foul on van de Beek.
16 min: Fernandes hits the post! This has been a really good start from United. Rashford plays a square pass to find Fernandes, 25 yards from goal. He has a quick touch and then hammers a shot that takes a slight deflection and hits the outside of the post. McCarthy was well beaten.
14 min Fernandes is crumped by Romeu, who is a bit fortunate not to get booked.
12 min United continue to dominate possession. Southampton haven’t really pressed them, which is a little surprising.
10 min “After the non-stop rush of Everton v Leeds,” begins Mary Walsh, “this fixture seems more like checkers at the retirement home.”
9 min I’m glad a penalty wasn’t given for such an innocuous tackle, but I’m not entirely sure what the difference is between that and Andy Robertson’s challenge yesterday.
8 min: VAR check for a Man Utd penalty. It would be soft but it might be given, certainly in view of some recent precedents. Ward-Prowse tried to kick the ball, missed and made slight contact with Rashford, who then went down. Martin Atkinson, the man in charge of VAR, decides it wasn’t a clear and obvious error. No penalty.
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7 min: Greenwood misses a great chance! United should be ahead. Telles stabbed a hopeful pass towards the edge of the area, where Vestergaard and McCarthy left the ball for each other. The alert Greenwood nipped in and went smoothly round McCarthy, only to slide the ball into the side netting from a tight angle. By his standards that was a bad miss.
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6 min United have had plenty of the ball in the early minutes, though most of it has been in the middle third of the pitch.
5 min See 3 min.
3 min A slow start, nothing to report.
1 min United are playing a midfield diamond, with van de Beek to the left and Fred to the right.
1 min Peep peep! Southampton kick off from left to right.
The players are ready for business. Southampton are in their Peru-style home kit; United are wearing their legacy green (sic) and black away strip.
“Big worry today is conceding free kicks in the Ward-Prowse range,” says Duncan Edwards. “Yes I’m looking at you, Fred.”
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United Rewind is a brand new podcast.
— unitedrewind (@unitedrewind) November 20, 2020
Every week @DanielHarris and Rob Smyth will revisit a match from United's past and discuss the build-up, the fallout, the atmosphere and the action.
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Pre-match reading
Team news
Donny van de Beek starts a Premier League game for the first time, though it’s not entirely clear where he’ll play - United’s formation could be 4-2-3-1 or a diamond. I suspect the latter. Either way Marcus Rashford will be up front in the absence of Anthony Martial, who became ill overnight.
Southampton are unchanged from the team that drew at Wolves on Monday.
Southampton (4-2-2-2) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Armstrong, Djenepo; Walcott, Adams.
Substitutes: Forster, Stephens, Diallo, Tella, Long, Obafemi, N’Lundulu.
Manchester United (possible 4-D-2) de Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles; Matic; Fred, van de Beek; Fernandes; Greenwood, Rashford.
Substitutes: Henderson, Fosu-Mensah, Williams, Tuanzebe, Mata, James, Cavani.
Referee Jon Moss.
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Preamble
Hello. Even when Manchester United were the best team in England, Southampton were awkward opponents. They knocked United out of the FA Cup in 1992 and beat them at the Dell in three consecutive seasons from 1995-98. In the post-Ferguson era, they’ve been even trickier. United have won only six out of 15 games against Southampton in that time, and three of those victories were an affront to the run of play.
This should be a really interesting match. Styles make fights, and Southampton’s high-energy, high-pressing game has given United plenty of problems since Ralph Hasenhuttl took over as manager. But they are without their best player, Danny Ings, so it isn’t the worst time to play Southampton. And it’s at St Mary’s, which suits Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side: they’ve won their last seven away games in the Premier League.
It’s hard to know whether it’s a good time to play United, because you never quite know which version will turn up. When they’re good, they’re very, very good, but when they’re bad...
Kick off 2pm.
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