NB: Video on this article has been removed in accordance to international license restrictions.
By Louis Anderson-Rich
Hello and welcome to St. Mary’s stadium where we have recently promoted Southampton taking on a, so far, less than convincing Manchester United side in the English Premier League.
Manchester United have, as per usual, dominated transfer headlines this season with the signing of Arsenal captain Robin van Persie.
He scored his debut goal for Fulham last week, can he notch a few more against what some may consider, lesser opponents.
Southampton haven’t started the season particularly well, they’re still looking for their first Premier League win in seven years.
But having maintained their attacking brand of football, and pushing champions Manchester City close in their first game, it would be unwise to underestimate them.
We’ll bring you live updates throughout the match so make sure you refresh your page occasionally.
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LIVE COMMENTARY: Southampton 2 – 3 Manchester United
90+4 Min: That’s fulltime! And something special has just been witnessed…Remember this game when the Premier League race comes down to the wire.
90+4 Min: Big shout for a penalty from Southampton as Ferdinand seemed to climb all over Schneiderlin. Nothing given though.
90+3 Min: United press again! Valencia down the right puts in a low ball across the goal! Davis saves!
90+3 Min: Only Manchester United…I really do feel for you Southampton…
90+2 Min: Man United win another corner! Plenty of players up. Corner whipped in and it’s van Persie with the header! IT’S GONE IN! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! GOAL!
90+1 Min: Hernandez takes down a long ball and has a shot! Almost steals a winner…
90 Min: Hooiveld up for the header! Goes out for another corner…Schneiderlin with a long range shot from a header away! Blocked! Ball still bobbling about! Finally cleared by Ferdinand.
89 Min: Heartbreak for Southampton fans with that goal…however they could still take this game, they have a corner and there are set to be four more minutes of stoppage time to come.
88 Min: Corner cleared but falls to Valencia out wide right…he crosses it in…the ball takes a deflection Ferdinand with a header! It hits the post! Van Persie is there for the follow up! GOAL!
87 Min: long ball over the top from Scholes and here is Hernandez who almost gets in between two players! Clyne is there to intervene. Corner.
86 Min: another little lob into the box this time from Rafael, Hernandez gets up and tries to head it down for van Persie but the ball goes out.
85 Min: Carrick lofts another ball over for van Persie and it finds his head but he has no support with him….Man U still on the attack but can Southampton hold on…
83 Min: loose ball goes begging for United but Hooiveld beats Hernandez in a foot race for the ball…never though I’d be saying that.
80 min: Nani with a cross which is defelcted behind for a corner…Nani puts it out to the edge of the box for Rafael who can’t keep it under control.
79 Min: Rodriguez on for Lallana who really has played a magnificent game.
78 Min: Scholes gives the ball to Carrick who finds van Persie who shoots! Hits a Southampton player though…this may be how the final ten minutes plays out.
77 Min: United pressing pretty hard at the moment…three players in the box and Evra gets a cross in but Hooiveld gets up high to head away…danger still there…
75 Min: Mayuka on for Puncheon and Do Prado on for Lambert.
74 Min: Valencia barrelling down the right hand side…plays it in to Rafael in the penalty area who is stopped in his tracks…back out to Carrick who’s lob back into the box is too far.
73 Min: United with some decent movement around Scholes who tries to chip a ball into the box but Kelvin Davis is there to take it.
72 Min: Hernandez comes on for Welbeck.
71 Min: Scholes finds van Persie who gets into the box and shoots with his right! Misses. How many shots has he had…
71 Min: and now it’s Puncheon who finds Clyne but his cross is overhit.
70 Min: Well I can’t believe that…unbelievable scenes at St Mary’s Stadium.
69 Min: van Persie runs up to take it. Tries to chip him and misses it!! Davis with the save!
68 Min: Kelvin Davis has been put under pressure from a back pass as van Persie bears down on him! He’s clearance finds Nani who runs into the box! Squares it for van Persie who goes down in a heap! Penalty given!
67 Min: Puncheon has found Lambert with a through ball and the flag has stayed down! Lambert takes it to the byline on the right hand side! Tries to lay a ball across but Ferdinand clears.
66 Min: Long ball over from Fonte to Lambert but Ferdinand makes the header…which is terrible and almost falls to Lambert, Vidic there to save the day.
64 Min: Lallana almost through after a great through ball from Lambert! Offside.
63 Min: Scholes launches a searching ball for Welbeck but Fonte does well to head away…and right down the other end it’s Puncheon in the middle of the park, he finds Lambert via a mis-kick from Rafael can he shoot! He can’t but lays it back to Lallana who has a go! Shot blocked by Evra!
62 Min: Nani and Scholes on for Man U…and Scholes has made an immediate impression as he plays a through ball for van Persie who is in the clear! Shoots! Davis does well to save.
61 Min: and ANOTHER attack from Southampton it’s Puncheon plays a nice one-two with Lallana and has a shot from the left hand side! Goes over the top by quite a distance.
60 Min: Southampton pressure not letting up as Rafael is dispossessed , Lallana lays it off for Lambert who shoots! Ball takes a deflection into the arms of Lindgaard.
59 Min: Saints with another attack it’s Lambert who goes into the box, stabs a ball out to the right for Schneiderlin who puts a cross over for Lambert! He can’t get to it though.
58 Min: Southampton still taking game right to United, Lambert picks up the ball in the middle, plays it out to the right for Puncheon who skips into the box, beats Evra and shoots! Lindegaard does well to get down and save!
56 Min: Great header from Schneiderlin who has supposedly never scored at St Mary’s before!
55 Min: Southampton with the ball on the left hand side…Puncheon pushes it out to Fox who crosses it in, Evra’s slipped! Schneiderlin is up for it! GOAL!
54 Min: Fonte pass has been intercepted by Valencia! He’s bearing down on the box! Squares it for van Persie who lets it run across his body and shoots first time! He’s missed! Major chance gone begging.
53 Min: Long free kick hit forward for Lambert….Vidic heads it away…danger still there as the ball falls to Fox but his cross goes into row z.
51 Min: good spell of possession for Southampton at the moment as Puncheon makes some room to have a shot but it’s blocked.
49 Min: Rafael wins the ball, passes up to van Persie who lays it off for Kagawa who shoots! Just wide of the post.
47 Min: Southampton starting strongly again as Davis lofts a ball over to Lambert who wins the ball, tries to get a shot away but Ferdinand gets a foot to it first.
46 Min: Southampton get the second half back underway! Interesting to note that United were very early out of the sheds, could have been given a bit of berating Ferguson perhaps…
Good to see some goals in that first half, looks like we have a great open game of football on our hands. Roll on the second half!
45+2 Min: Halftime whistle goes!
45+1 Min: One minute of extra time to be played and a long ball is sent over for van Persie who very almost keeps it under control under pressure from two Saints defenders, but he loses it.
44 Min: Well Man U certainly have the lion’s share of possession they just can’t seem to do anything with it at the moment…
41 Min: Southampton with some good pressure in the middle of the park…it’s Schneiderlin who shuts down Cleverly and then chips a great ball over to Lambert who tries to square it inside for Lallana but he goes down on the edge of the box from a Carrick tackle and no foul is given.
40 Min: Valencia has found himself in space on the right hand wing again, nice cross to the back post and it’s Evra with the header! Parried away by Davis. Clyne slipped again in that attack…
39 Min: Carrick with another wayward pass…he has not hit his rhythm….
38 min: Cleverly goes down after a rough challenge from Lallana which the ref gives the free-kick for…Carrick plays it square…Kagawa gets tied up over on the left hand side…Welbeck now dispossessed but he wins it back.
36 Min: Southampton with a free kick from behind the halfway line…it’s launched forward to the head of Lambert…he heads it back for no one but Southampton retain possession…Fonte plays a nice throughball from the back up for Lallana but he is shrugged off the ball by Ferdinand.
35 Min: Southampton have a man down but they decide to play on…and Lallana picks up the ball at the top of the box and shoots! Low and wide but Lindegaard was scrambling for it and not convincingly…
33 Min: Carrick caught napping as Puncheon came up behind him to nick the ball of him. Southampton back on the attack…
32 Min: Southampton with another shot after a ball went loose in midfield…Davis that time, but it was low and wide.
31 Min: Southampton have gathered the ball in midfield and Schneiderlin plays a wonderful that cuts right through the defence into the path of Lallana. He’s in the box, takes it to the byline and tries to dink it over to Lambert on the other side but it rolls out.
29 Min: van Persie with the free-kick! Well bit of an anti-climax really, it was another top corner curler hit quite lazily b van Persie…
28 Min: Valencia is really causing Southampton some struggles down that right side…he squares it across to Welbeck at the top of the box, lines up a shot, cuts inside Fonte instead and trips over his leg. Free-kick United in a very dangerous position…
27 Min: Another chance for van Persie after Valencia received the ball wide right, squared it across to Welbeck who laid it off for van Persie who just went for a top corner curler.
26 Min: van Persie steaming down the left side, gives it inside to Welbeck who shows off some footwork to get around Davis…ball given awa though.
25 Min: Southampton certainly playing the more positive football as Lallana sets up Lambert for a volley! Oooh that just whizzed across the face of the goal…
24 min: Southampton straight back on the counter now! It’s Ward-Prowse bearing down on United’s area! Tries to put it across to Lambert but it’s cleared.
23 Min: Welbeck with the ball again, finds Valencia over on the right…Valencia with a beautifully floated cross to van Persie and Clyne has slipped in front of him! Van Persie takes it down on his chest! Shoots! Scores! GOAL!
22 Min: Welbeck with a cross that is easily plucked out of the air by Davis…
21 Min: Schneiderlin dispossessed by Kagawa in his own half, he takes a few steps forward and has a low shot! Parried away by Davis corner to United…Corner taken and put out for a throw on the other side.
20 Min: Another Man United attack breaks down and Southampton look to break with Ward-Prowse…some nice manouveres in the midfield between Puncheon and Lallana…Hooiveld gives away possession though.
19 Min: United stung into action now as they string together a few passes…Southampton holding their structure very well though…Vidic to Carrick who plays another poor ball that goes amiss.
18 Min: So the man who has played in every English division has a goal to remember…
17 Min: Schneiderlin intercepts another pass, plays the ball up to Lallana who lays it out to Clyne who crosses first time. Lambert gets up! He’s above Rafael! And he’s found the back of the net! GOAL!
16 Min: Lallana has intercepted another wayward Man U pass and he has some space…fakes the shot, lays it off to Schneiderlin who shoots! Flies way over the top.
15 Min: Carrick pass intercepted by Lallana in the middle of the park…now it’s Ward-Prowse…goes all the way back to Hooiveld…Schneiderlin now goes ahead to Lallana but he can’t keep control.
12 Min: Well Southampton have been going on more attacking excursions than United so far…and they win a corner…Cross is in and low…United caught by surprise as the ball falls to Lallana with a first time shot! Shot goes wide.
11 Min: Puncheon and Clyne combine nicely to set up and attack…Lallana now lays it off for a cross from Clyne but the United defence deal with it.
10 Min: ball played forwards for Puncheon, Lindegaard has to come out of his box to clear it…pressure still on Man U and Lambert is making a nuisance of himself up front in the air…battles with Ferdinand and comes very close to winning it.
9 Min: Van Persie almost plays a nice ball over the top for Welbeck on the turn but it’s cut out by Hooiveld.
8 Min: Lindegaard’s first touch of the ball is a grass cutter clearance…not the most positive of starts for him.
7 Min: Carrick with a searching ball for van Persie who takes it beautifully on the chest surrounded by players! Has a go with his left foot! But it goes wide.
6 Min: Clyne bombs a ball forward to Lambert but he is dispossessed by Carrick.
5 Min: Evra with a lovely ball forward to Kagawa…Welbeck now back to Carrick who moves it on to Valencia…back out to Rafael…United content to pass it around.
4 Min: Southampton with an attack, Lallana gives it to Puncheon who is tackled by Rafael, but then tackles Rafael right back wih a decent challenge.
3 Min: van Persie whips it in, ball comes out to Rafael who has a shot first time! That’s blocked though and Southampton get some possession.
2 Min: van Persie with the corner but it’s cleared…Cleverley finds Rafael, side-steps Fox who trips him and Man Utd have an early free kick on the corner of the box.
1 Min: Man U get things underway! They’ve started very positively, pumping that right hand side straight away…one-wo between Valencia and Kagawa, Valencia with the cross but Fox blocks it for the first corner of the match.
Right both teams out on the field, all handshaking done, let’s get on with some football!
Few changes to the lineups…
Lindegaard is starting ahead of De Gea for Manchester United. As is Ferdinand ahead of Evans, Welbeck ahead of Nani, and Rafael ahead of Da Silva
For Southampton, Ward-Prowse takes Guly’s place and Puncheon in for Rodriguez
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Teams:
Southampton:
Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox, Schneiderlin, Davis, Lallana, Ward-Prowse, Lambert, Puncheon
Manchester United:
Lindegaard, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Rafael, Cleverley, Carrick, Kagawa, Welbeck, Valencia, Van Persie
Pregame Banter by Chris Lehourites – AP:
Manchester United will be without Wayne Rooney on Sunday, as the England striker was injured in the 3-2 win over Fulham last week. He came on as a substitute and was cut in the right leg when he was stepped on.
But with both Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa scoring against Fulham, Rooney's lack of fitness probably would have kept him out of the team to face Southampton regardless.
"Wayne's a bit behind other players in terms of fitness," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "It wasn't an easy choice to leave Wayne out because he is a very good player who can score you goals."
Rooney should be back in about four weeks, according to Ferguson.
"It's nothing serious on the actual gash. It's a bad one but it was treated carefully and very quickly and we don't expect any complications," Ferguson said. "The fact it's a gash and not a ligament, muscle or joint injury means he can do a lot of work in the gym so he should be back in four weeks."
3 News
source: newshub archive
