Player Ratings: Southampton 0-1 Manchester United
Reuters / Andrew Couldridge
Manchester United’s visit to Saint Mary’s stadium ended in an unconvincing 1-0 win for Jose Mourinho’s team, which has been flying so far this season.
The Red Devils took the lead in 20th minute via Romelu Lukaku, who showed great physical strength to bully the defender marking him before putting the ball in the net on the rebound. Mourinho won’t be too disappointed with the result as his team continue their title charge with yet another win.
Let’s see how the two set of players fared in the match.
Southampton:
Fraser Forster: 6
The English goalkeeper could have done better with Lukaku’s goal when, after saving the initial effort, he deflected the ball right at the Belgian, who passed it in the open net. Was sloppy with his distribution as well.
Cedric Soares: 6
The Portuguese right-back made quite a few recoveries while coping with Manchester United’s counterattacks. However, could have done a lot better going forward.
Maya Yoshida: 6.5
The Japanese defender showed typical composure on the ball throughout the match. Couldn’t have done anything for the goal conceded by his team.
Wesley Hoedt: 6.5
The Dutchman was bullied too easily by Lukaku for the only goal of the game. Other than that, looked solid in other scenarios where he displayed no-nonsense defending.
Ryan Bertrand: 6
Much like Cedric on the opposite wing, Bertrand should have done a lot better while attacking down the left flank. His usually good crossing was nowhere to be seen today.
Mario Lemina: 7.5
The record signing at the Saint Mary’s stadium was also the best player on the pitch for the home team. The former Juventus man was dynamic on both ends of the pitch, as he showcased his terrific work rate and athleticism.
Oriol Romeu: 7.5
Romeu had a good game in front of his former manager Jose Mourinho, who coached him at Chelsea. The Spanish midfielder came close to scoring for his team on two different occasions. Should have scored.
Dusan Tadic: 6.5
Tadic, being a star player in this team, should have done a lot better. The playmaker, mostly, failed to come inside on his favorite left foot while playing on the right wing.
Steven Davis: 6.5
Culpable of playing it too safe when his team needed creativity. The 32-year-old midfielder failed to shine in the final third.
Nathan Redmond: 7
The English winger caused a few problems to the Manchester United defence. While drifting in from the left, Redmond looked the most potent attacker for Southampton as he tried his best to create or score.
Shane Long: 6
Did everything other than what is desired of him, i.e. putting the ball in the net. The striker has failed to score in his last 18 games, a worrying trend for Southampton.
Subs: Gabbiadini: 6, Charlie Austin: 6, Ward-Prowse: 6
Manchester United:
Reuters / John Sibley
David De Gea: 7.5
The Spaniard held his end strongly for his team, as he repelled everything Southampton managed to throw at Manchester United’s goal. Crucial player for his team.
Antonio Valencia: 6.5
The Manchester United captain was among the underperformers for his team today. Didn’t show the same zeal and energy to dart forward as he has done this season.
Eric Bailly: 7.5
Bailly has grown a great understanding with Jones in the centre of defence. Dealt well with the pacy threat of Shane Long to keep him at bay.
Phil Jones: 8.5
A man reborn. Not many expected the English defender to be as good as he has been so far this season. Was spot on with his positioning again. Quickly emerging as the best defending option for his coach.
Ashley Young: 7
The winger turned left-back justified his selection over Blind by creating the goal for Lukaku with a beautiful cross from the left. Didn’t look comfortable while defending, and earned himself a yellow card for a foul on Tadic.
Marouane Fellaini: 8
The Belgian showed why Mourinho trusts him so much. Contributed a lot on both ends of the pitch, as the midfielder showed great industry and commitment.
Nemanja Matić: 7
After making an unbelievable start to his career at Manchester United, the Serbian is finally beginning to show that he is a human after all; and can have an off game. Did his job defensively, but wasn’t at his creative best, as he failed to spray passes across the pitch.
Marcus Rashford: 7
The wonderboy of Manchester looked threatening with his pace on a few occasions when Manchester United were breaking on counter-attacks. However, failed to add an end product to his runs.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.5
The assist leader of the Premier League had a rare bad game by the high standards he has set for himself this season. Couldn’t create many chances to help his team kill the game off.
Juan Mata: 6.5
Much like Mkhitaryan, Mata wasn’t also at his playmaking best. The Spaniard failed to impact the game in any sense.
Romelu Lukau: 8
The Belgian has gelled up in his new team with ease. Continued his great goal-scoring form with a crucial goal that won his team the match. Showed great strength to score the winner.
Subs: Ander Herrera: 6.5, Smalling: 6, Daley Blind: 6
Written by Shorya Panwar 
Has 20+ years of experience managing Schalke in Football Manager 2017. Believes wing-backs are the most complete footballers in the modern/evolved football. Writes weird stuff on his personal blog.