Southampton will be proud of their performance on Saturday evening as they managed to hold out a 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho’s men came into the game as red hot favourites after Southampton’s poor results in recent fixtures.
Southampton’s exceptional defensive performance shows signs of improvement for the remainder of the season.
It was a fairly even game with an abundance of chances coming from both teams. Southampton came close in the 7th minute with an excellent cut back finding James Ward-Prowse, whose low hit shot forced a spectacular save from the Red Devils’ goalkeeper, David De Gea.
Manchester United applied the pressure in the closing minutes of the game but Southampton’s defence prevailed and managed to get a very important point away from home.
All of the players had a very good game, and with that being said, I have whittled down the top three performers of the game at Old Trafford.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
After coming off the back of a decent performance on Boxing Day in the game against Spurs, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg looked confident on the ball and looked determined to secure his position in the Saints’ starting XI. His work rate and his ability to win back the ball illustrates that he could be a vital player in Southampton’s bid to stay up this season.
Alex McCarthy
After Pellegrino’s decision to drop Fraser Forster, Alex McCarthy made his first Premier League appearance in Saints’ colours. McCarthy looked very confident (which Forster has not done recently) and commanded his box extremely well. He made some very good saves, especially a fantastic reaction stop from a powerful Juan Mata strike, and produced a well deserved clean sheet.
Wesley Hoedt
Last but certainly not least and our man of the match, we have the Dutch international, Wesley Hoedt. He produced a fantastic defensive performance and alongside his defensive teammates, kept United’s attack relatively quiet throughout the match. Hoedt and Yoshida look to be building up a very strong partnership in defence which could be crucial in Southampton’s fight to stay up.
