Manchester United claimed a morale-boosting win to ease the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag as Southampton lost a fourth consecutive game since returning to the Premier League.
United came into the early kick-off needing a result following back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Liverpool and Southampton were handed an early chance to give Ten Hag a further problem when Diogo Dalot fouled 18-year-old winger Tyler Dibling in the penalty area.
But Cameron Archer’s effort from the spot was saved by Andre Onana and moments later the striker’s miss was punished by Matthijs de Ligt, the defender heading home from Bruno Fernandes’ excellent cross for his first United goal since signing from Bayern Munich.
Marcus Rashford then scored his first Manchester United goal since March to double the lead for the visitors. The forward was left unmarked on the edge of the box and bent a dipping shot inside Aaron Ramsdale’s post to end his scoring drought after a difficult start to the season.
Southampton offered little in the second half – in fact, Russell Martin’s side did not have another shot on goal after Archer’s penalty miss – and they were later reduced to 10 men when captain Jack Stephens was sent off for a wild lunge on Alejandro Garnacho.
Garnacho added a third in stoppage time as United claimed an important three points. Follow all the reaction to Manchester United’s win in our live blog, below
Erik ten Hag on Manchester United injury concerns
Matthijs De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui were all replaced in the second half:
“We had the international break and some were short in the pre-season, some had continental flights and we had the 12:30 game on Saturday.
“It’s a struggle [for the players] but hopefully it is nothing serious. We have to assess it today and tomorrow and we will see.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 15:46
Erik ten Hag on ‘very good player’ Matthijs De Ligt
“We know we signed a very good player with a number of attributes, one of them is he is a threat on set plays. I’m very happy he scored that goal and it was a good cross from Bruno.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 15:34
Marcus Rashford’s goal ‘huge’ for Manchester United forward
Erik ten Hag on Marcus Rashford’s first goal for Manchester United since March.
“It’s very important. We spoke before the game and it’s so huge for him and every striker to be on the scoring list. Now he has his first, I’m sure there will be more.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 15:22
Erik ten Hag on Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Southampton
“We have to win every game. Every game you can ask the same question but we did today. Sometimes you have to find a way to win. In the first minutes of the game we had some problems, until the save from Andre and the goal from De Ligt. The game was all ours after that.
“We wanted to kill the game off and we had the chances. I don’t know how many chances, several, to go three or four up.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 15:10
Andre Onana: Penalty save was ‘important moment for us’
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana speaks to TNT Sports about his penalty save:
“It was very good to save that one. It was an important moment for us, a key situation. After that penalty we took control. The most important thing was the win.
“I would say it was a turning point. We had a great game, a clean sheet, and we move on and try and learn from our mistakes.”
On Marcus Rashford: “He had a difficult season last year but it’s not how you fall it’s how you stand up. Today he came back and scored. He needed this goal, we needed this goal and hopefully he scores more for the team.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:56
Southampton 0-3 Manchester United: The 10 minutes that turned the game
31’ – Southampton winger Tyler Dibling beats Diogo Dalot and is fouled in the box
33’ – Cameron Archer steps up to take penalty but Andre Onana saves down low
35’ – Matthijs de Ligt opens scoring with first United goal from Bruno Fernandes cross
41’ – Marcus Rashford scores first goal since March to double United’s lead
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:48
‘This was a crucial game for Manchester United’
Former England striker Peter Crouch on TNT Sports: “This was a crucial game for Manchester United after the international break. They were playing a Southampton side who made basic errors but United capitalised. It was a morale-boosting win.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:42
Andre Onana penalty save ‘changed the game’ for Man Utd
Player of the match Matthijs de Ligt speaks to TNT Sports:
“It was really important. Three points out of three games was not enough, so there was pressure on this game. Today we played well. Maybe at the beginning we had some trouble. Big credit to Andre who saved a really important penalty. It changed the game for us actually.”
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:37
FULL TIME! Southampton 0-3 Manchester United
Happy faces in the United end at full time. A comfortable afternoon in the end for Erik ten Hag’s side.
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:34
FULL TIME! Southampton 0-3 Manchester United
Just what Manchester United needed. A 3-0 win and a morale-boosting performance to lift the mood after back-to-back defeats. The match turned on Cameron Archer’s penalty miss, with Matthijs de Ligt and Marcus Rashford scoring twice in eight minutes before half time.
Alejandro Garnacho scored in added time, after Southampton skipper Jack Stephens was sent off for a wild lunge on the winger.
Jamie Braidwood14 September 2024 14:29
