Red Devils pair out of their depth and Saints provide man of the match in Southampton vs Manchester United: Player ratings

A moment of quality from Bruno Fernandes allowed Manchester United to edge a scrappy clash with Southampton courtesy of a 1-0 scoreline, that propels Erik ten Hag’s side to sixth place ahead of the weekend’s remaining kick-offs.

In a low-quality affair, Bruno Fernandes placed what proved to be the winner into the bottom corner after 56 minutes, and the Red Devils survived a late barrage of pressure to come away with a valuable three points from St Mary’s Stadium.

It was a gritty and resolute performance from the Red Devils, two words that haven’t been associated with the club for some time, and even as they rode their luck to record back-to-back wins, there were shoots of progress under the new manager, even if they were largely second best.

Southampton

Gavin Bazunu - 7

Made one excellent save in the first half, but could do nothing about Bruno Fernandes’ goal.

Kyle Walker-Peters - 5

A quiet day for Walker-Peters, who struggled to make any impression down the Southampton right-hand side despite the Saints opting to overload that flank.

Armel Bella-Kotchap - 8

Showed excellent pace and strength to keep the Manchester United front-line quiet, and looks to be a real talent for the future in the heart of the Saints defence.

Mohamed Salisu - 7

Overshadowed by his defensive partner but put in a strong performance in the heart of the Saints’ defence. Unlucky to be on the losing side.

Moussa Djenepo - 6

A good performance in an unnatural position for Djenepo, but his good work was undone when he was caught out by Dalot’s overlap for the Manchester United goal.

James Ward-Prowse - 6

Could not make his quality count and his set pieces lacked their usual spectacular nature.

Romeo Lavia - 6

Didn’t look at all out of place against United’s midfielders, and is sure to have a bright future.

Joe Aribo - 7

Was the best of Southampton’s midfielders and the former Rangers man looks a real coup for the south-coast side.

Mohamed Elyounoussi - 5

Had a quiet afternoon for the Saints and was hooked on the hour in the game’s first change.

Adam Armstrong - 6

Was a threat for much of the game, but lacked the cutting edge needed to get his team ahead in the game.

Che Adams - 5

Spurned a good chance in the first half, but never looked too much of a threat despite pretty play outside the penalty area.

Substitutes:

Sekou Mara - 5

Came up with an audacious overhead kick but did nothing to change the outcome

Stuart Armstrong - 5

Made no headway despite Southampton dominating the ball.

Lyanco- N/A

Was only on the pitch for the final couple of minutes

Romain Perraud - N/A

Was only on the pitch for the final couple of minutes

Manchester United

David De Gea - 6

Made a good save but still looks a liability with his feet in Erik ten Hag’s new system.

Diogo Dalot - 6

Had a tough afternoon defensively, but found a great pass to tee up Bruno Fernandes for the opening goal. More exciting going forwards than Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Raphael Varane - 6

Looked comfortable on the south coast against a pretty toothless Saints attack.

Lisandro Martinez - 7

Scrutinised for his aerial ability, Lisandro Martinez turned in another strong performance and

Tyrell Malacia - 6

Not as impressive as he was against Liverpool, but still did very well 1 vs 1. Will likely keep his place ahead of Luke Shaw.

Scott McTominay - 5

Strong in the air from set pieces but looked a fish out of water in open play. Lucky to get away with not conceding a penalty.

Christian Eriksen - 6

A rare piece of quality in the Manchester United midfield, the Dane

Jadon Sancho - 5

Quick feet but little end product, Sancho looks more expressive under Erik ten Hag but it hasn’t quite clicked yet.

Bruno Fernandes - 6

Was a passenger for the first half, but came up with a glorious finish just before the hour mark to put his side 1-0 up.

Anthony Elanga -5

Made one good second-half run that forced a good tackle, but was otherwise quiet.

Marcus Rashford - 4

Hardly touched the ball (21 times to be precise) and was pushed out wide when Ronaldo came on. A day to forget.

Substitutes:

Cristiano Ronaldo - 5

Made one run in behind but looked every bit his 37 years-old as Manchester United’s press waned upon his appearance.

Casemiro - N/A

Was only on the pitch for the final 10 minutes but was tenacious in defending.

Fred - N/A

Was a stoppage-time substitute.

Stats and Fan reaction

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