Southampton 2-3 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points as Cavani inspires United to a memorable comeback win | Premier League 2020-21
Manchester United got off to a poor start against Southampton tonight, but managed to make an admirable comeback late on in the game. Edinson Cavani scored twice coming off the bench as the visitors sank the Saints 3-2 in their Premier League fixture.
Manchester United went two goals behind in the first half, thanks to two set-piece goals from the hosts. Saints captain James Ward-Prowse had a role in both strikes, as he set up the first one from their first corner of the game before banging in a stunner from a direct free-kick on the edge of the box.
The hosts had their goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to thank for making a couple of crucial saves in either half, including a double save from Greenwood and Fernandes in the 30th minute.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side upped their tempo after the break and reaped the rewards soon, as Bruno Fernandes found the back of the net yet again after he was wonderfully picked out by substitute Edinson Cavani in the box. The Uruguayan striker then went on to score twice, including one in injury time to seal the victory for the visitors.
The 33-year-old's second-half heroics completely undid the first-half performance of James Ward-Prowse, and showed the Old Trafford faithful that they have a player apart from Fernandes to count on this season.
Here we take a look at the five major talking points from a Manchester United win that saw them move into the top 10 of the Premier League table.
#5 James Ward-Prowse makes a case for more minutes in the national team with an eye-catching performance
James Ward-Prowse has been in scintillating form for the Saints this season - he has scored four goals and provided two assists in ten starts. He was at the heart of their brilliant showing against Manchester United tonight, with an early yellow card being the only blemish on his performance.
He has just made a grand total of four appearances for the Three Lions, and with his accurate set-pieces and impressive work rate as a defensive midfielder, he can add a lot to Gareth Southgate's side.
#4 Manchester United struggled against Southampton's accurate set-pieces
Manchester United conceded not once but twice from set-pieces tonight, with goalkeeper David de Gea even getting slightly injured in the process of trying to save Ward-Prowse's 33rd-minute bullet free-kick.
For the opener, Bednarek did well to lose his marker but Marcus Rashford should've done more to close down on the defender. De Gea could not have done anything to stop the ball as Bednarek connected really well to the ball from Ward-Prowse's corner.
For the second goal, Fred was to blame as he struggled to keep up with Moussa Djenepo's pace and brought him down near the 18-yard box. It was a perfect opportunity for the right-footed Ward-Prowse to bend one in and he made the most of it.
Both goals were avoidable, but errors from the players meant that the Red Devils were two goals behind in the 33rd minute.