Manchester United vs Southampton: 5 key takeaways from the game
Manchester United continued their quest for the Premier League title with an impressive victory over Southampton at home, maintaining a 100% win record so far in the League. Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring for the Red Devils with a powerful header from a Wayne Rooney cross and followed it up with a well taken penalty after Luke Shaw had been fouled by Jordie Classy inside the box.
Despite Southampton’s best efforts, they came up short and Claude Puel and his coaching staff will be wondering where it all went wrong for them at the Old Trafford. In this segment, we take a look at key takeaways from United’s win over the Saints.
#1 Paul Pogba looks worth every penny Manchester United have spent on him
The French man made his first start in the Premier League for the Manchester giants after signing for Juventus and put in an impressive performance in the middle of the park. The energetic midfielder, who lends the right balance to the sides he features in, did his share of dirty work in the middle of the park, while ensuring he adds to his side’s attack with vital contributions.
While he did look a bit rusty in the first few minutes of the game, misplacing passes and not taking the right first touch, his confidence grew as he saw more of the ball and was a constant menace to the Southampton midfield and defence. His attacking numbers from the night read 2 chances created, 4 attempts on goal and a tidy pass completion percentage of 84%.
However, it was his combative abilities which drew the praise against Southampton. He managed to disrupt the rhythm of the opposition with 3 tackles, made a whopping 5 interceptions and added to the side’s aerial prowess on the pitch.
While the beginning was bright, often footballers become victims of their own success and Pogba will have a tough task at his hand as he looks to better himself with every match day.