Manchester United won comfortably at the weekend and several players gave a good account of themselves on the pitch.
Newly promoted Southampton were no match for the Reds, although it took United 25-30 minutes to grow into the game before scoring two quick-fire goals.
Russell Martin’s side missed a penalty before conceding the opening goal just eight minutes later. Goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford had given United a two-goal lead at the break.
Alejandro Garnacho added a third in stoppage time to seal the win.
The 3-0 win marked an improvement across several departments: defence, midfield and attack. While we scored three goals for the first time this season, it was also our second clean sheet of the 2024/25 campaign.
But only one United player was selected in the BBC’s Premier League team of the week, which former Watford striker Troy Deeney now selects.
Deeney noted how he felt De Ligt was challenged early on by Southampton, but his quality prevailed. The Netherlands international has a wealth of experience and it showed against the Saints.
Explaining his selection, Deeney wrote: “His goal sent United on their way, plus another clean sheet. After he scored, he got more confident and we saw the class and quality he has.”
De Ligt performed superbly after dealing with heavy criticism during the international break from the Dutch media. It was the perfect performance to silence his critics back home.
[Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images]
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