A solitary strike from Romelu Lukaku saw Manchester United sneak their way past Southampton in a 1-0 win at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho’s had to struggle for their three points on the day and had some stellar defending from Phil Jones in particular to thank for their clean sheet.
Lukaku’s 20th minute strike secured the win for the away side but they were far from convincing.
Here’s what we learned from the encounter.
United struggled to create chances on the day. Last week, the creative duo of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata compensated for the absence of Paul Pogba’s ingenuity and drive from central midfield. However, both players couldn’t quite make it happen at St. Mary’s.
Fortunately, Lukaku hasn’t always had the luxury of their service and is quite accustomed to feeding off scraps. He made the most of an Ashley Young cross from the left flank, giving United the lead in the 20th minute.
Despite the lack of service, he was still United’s most threatening player, with all three of his shots finding the target. He also created a couple of chances, one of which Ander Herrera blazed over the bar when he really should have hit the target.
The Saints have been good in defence, as they were again in the 1-0 defeat but it’s up front where they need to improve or risk slipping down the table.
Opportunities did come their way with Oriol Romelu, Shane Long and Dusan Tadic all missing chances. They are desperate for a clinical goalscorer with none of Charlie Austin, Long or Manolo Gabbiadini stepping up.
They’ve now failed to score in four of their opening six games.
Oriol Romeu
The common narrative from this result will be that of United grinding out a win like champions do when they aren’t playing well and how that’s the sort of thing that wins titles. However, Mourinho will know that his side needs to be better.
They’ve enjoyed a fine start to the season, winning five and drawing one, but they’re yet to face top six opposition. It leads one to wonder how they will cope on an away trip to Anfield or Stamford Bridge when they’ve drawn away to Stoke City and have toiled their way past Southampton.
Jose Mourinho
