Southampton – Manchester United: Solskjær Fails To Crack His Kryptonite (1-1)

Manchester United's trip to the south coast was an ideal chance to show they had learned their lesson from the past. But if they had hoped that new faces would be enough to make the difference, the away team were wholly mistaken. Once again, Solskjær’s team fell foul to a compact high press in a game where they lacked the organization that their opponents displayed in abundance.

Tactical analysis by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Could this be the year promised land turns from a mirage into reality for Manchester United? Building on a bitter Europa League final defeat last year, Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane’s arrivals seem to be a signal of intent. Now arriving at Saint Mary's Stadium in buoyant mood, off the back of a 5-1 rout of Leeds United, they aimed to make light work of a side who have routinely put them to the test.

Indeed, Southampton's prior exploits against their guests were their main source of hope going into this fixture. Ravaged by injury at the turn of the new year, the exits of Jannik Vestergaard and talismanic striker Danny Ings have only dealt further blows to a thin roster of players. Losing 3-1 to Everton in their opening game of the new campaign, the hosts sought . . .