1. Southampton simply won’t go away
Southampton fans must be tired of people patronising them and showing great awe that they their club is still in the top four because they have good reason to believe that they are one of the best sides in the division.
They have recently drawn against Chelsea, beaten Arsenal and taken all three points at Old Trafford. After that tough run fixtures, they are third in the table with the potential to go on a good run.
2. Manchester United miss Ashley Young
Louis van Gaal’s side was clearly one-dimensional with their attacks as they tried to get the ball to the feet of Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria, their two strikers. When that plan failed, they tried to use the width in playing long balls and crosses into the box, but their service from the flanks was poor.
That was despite the fact that their wing-backs enjoyed more time on the ball. Before picking up his recent injury, Ashley Young used to be the difference in these situations with quality in-swinging crosses as a left wing-back.
3. New heroes keep arriving for the Saints
Southampton supporters filled the air with gloating cries of “where have all our players gone?” – which seemed a satisfying response to the common suspicion that the club would nosedive after last summer’s exodus.
They keep unearthing new gems and new recruit Eljero Elia showed with his pace and trickery in the opening hour that he has the potential to give Dusan Tadic serious competition as a left attacking midfielder in Koeman’s side.
4. United had a lot of possession but Southampton controlled the game
Van Gaal insinuated that Southampton were rewarded for negative tactics because they came looking for a draw, but that was not entirely fair on the Saints. They may have started the game in a more cautious way but the plan was to stay in the game for the opening half then chase the winner in the second-half.
United initially had a lot of possession because the Saints allowed them that. When Southampton started pressing very high and committing bodies forward then Koeman’s side edged the contest in terms of good chances created.
After Tadic’s goal the Saints settled for a narrow win and they dropped back again to see the last 20 minutes out. Throughout the game, Southampton may have had less than 40 per cent ball possession but they had control of the proceedings.
5. Koeman deserves a lot of credit for Southampton’s brilliant defence
Southampton has the best defence in the league with 11 clean sheets in just 21 games and this game was a good example of why. Throughout the season Koeman has done an excellent job at organising his side well, which gives his defenders and holding midfielders the best chance of successfully thwarting the opposition attack.
In this game, Jose Fonte was the man-of-the-match, while Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand were brilliant with the way they knew when to push forward and press for the ball and when to drop to the defensive line and form a compact back four across the 18-yard box.
Even Florin Gardos, who replaced the injured Toby Alderweireld, had a brilliant game just as Matt Targett had an excellent debut against Chelsea. With so many players performing their job so well, credit is due to the man making it happen.
