After Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial etched their respective names into Manchester United history books, an injury-time strike from Southampton’s Michael Obafemi saw the Red Devils dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Champions League football.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men welcomed the Saints to Old Trafford a short time ago, for their latest Premier League outing.
The Reds entered proceedings amid an absolutely scintillating spell of form, particularly since the return of English football last month.
After putting Aston Villa to the sword by 3 goals to nil last Thursday, United made it 5 consecutive wins, and 17 unbeaten across all competitions.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 09: Mason Greenwood of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on July 09, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Pool via Getty Images)
Southampton, though, also headed into the clash in impressive form, having won 2 of their previous 3, including a 1-0 downing of Manchester City.
And, when all was said and done in Manchester this evening, the Saints’ fighting spirit eventually saw them secure a deserved share of the spoils.
Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men took the lead with 12 minutes on the clock, when Nathan Redmond’s clever dink to the back post was superbly controlled and finished by Stuart Armstrong.
The visitors looked excellent during the opening exchanges, with Manchester United having been pushed firmly onto the back foot.
It didn’t take long, though, for the Red Devils’ in-form attackers to drag their side back into things.
After Paul Pogba bent a tantalising delivery into the away box, Anthony Martial did brilliantly to take the ball under control, before laying off to Marcus Rashford.
And the English international made no mistake with his finish, driving a left-footed effort beyond the reach of the helpless Alex McCarthy.
Then, almost before Southampton had a chance to regather their composure, United made it 2.
Anthony Martial went from provider to goalscorer on this occasion, driving forward after latching onto Bruno Fernandes’ pass out wide, before unleashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Southampton have imploded! ?
In less than 3 minutes Manchester United have gone from 1-0 down to 2-1 up – what a match! ?
? Watch on Sky Sports PL ? Follow #MUNSOU here: https://t.co/erCW22Fy87 ? Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/uXITGZdYl8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 13, 2020
Southampton, to their credit, continued to battle as the clash wore on, holding their illustrious hosts to a smattering of goalscoring opportunities.
And, just when it looked as though time was up for Hasenhüttl’s side, super-sub Michael Obefemi came to the rescue.
A corner-kick from the left deep into injury-time saw Jan Bednarek rise highest to flick a header towards the back post, with Irish youngster Obafemi having reacted quickest to slot home into an empty net.
The final-whistle blew just moments later, as Southampton celebrated moving a whopping 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
Manchester United, on the other hand, saw their top-4 hopes dealt a major blow, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men having missed out on the chance to leapfrog both Chelsea and Leicester into 3rd.
While this evening’s proceedings of course, in the end, proved of an altogether disappointing nature from a Manchester United perspective, though, as outlined above, their stalemate with Southampton did prove of special significance for two of the club’s star men.
The individuals in question? Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
The electric pair combined to great effect once more over the course of the 90 minutes at Old Trafford, causing the visitors’ backline a whole host of issues.
It was their link-up leading up to the Red Devils’ opener, though, which has since seen Martial and Rashford set a Premier League club record.
Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford (L) celebrates with Manchester United’s French striker Anthony Martial (R) after scoring their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England, on July 13, 2020. (Photo by PETER POWELL / POOL / AFP)
As highlighted by the reliable OptaJoe, tonight marked the 6th time this season that United’s deadly duo have come together to find the net.
This marks a new club record, with no two of the Manchester giants’ stars having ever combined on a more frequent basis over the course of a single Premier League campaign:
6 – Anthony Martial’s assist for Marcus Rashford’s equaliser was the sixth time the pair have combined for a goal in the Premier League this season – no duo have combined for more goals for @ManUtd in a single season in the competition. Understanding. #MUNSOU pic.twitter.com/p2mVqGOdTt
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 13, 2020
United’s 2nd, meanwhile, also came as a milestone strike for Martial on an individual basis:
10 – Anthony Martial is the 10th different player to score 50 Premier League goals for @ManUtd – no team has had more different players reach the milestone for them in the competition. Nifty. #MUNSOU pic.twitter.com/efFIetKQ1n
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 13, 2020
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This article was edited by Benjamin Newman.
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