Southampton, on Sunday, held Manchester United in a 1-1 game at the St Mary’s stadium. With this draw, United have equalled Arsenal’s record of the most consecutive away games without losing – 27. Meanwhile, the Saints get their first points of the season.
The first match in front of a full St. Mary’s crowd in almost 18 months also saw these sides meet for the first time since Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men conceded nine goals without reply at Old Trafford in February.
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Coming from a dominating 5-1 display against Leeds, United’s goalscorer on the opening weekend, Fred scored an own goal in the 30th minute. It was Bruno Fernandes losing possession that caused Che Adams’ charge and the forward’s shot found Fred only to end up behind the net. The visitors finished the first half with the deficit.
United did start the second half, like the first, with more possession. They missed a couple of close chances before midfielder Paul Pogba, in a hotchpotch, found Mason Greenwood, who scored the equaliser in the 55th minute.
Solskjaer’s side went the whole of last season without losing a league game on the road and this result on the south coast took its unbeaten league away run to 27 matches, putting it level with Arsenal in 2003-04.
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United should have been in front before that and had somehow failed to score seven minutes in.
Harry Maguire and Paul Pogba strained to reach Bruno Fernandes’ set-piece, with the ball looping onto the bar before Mohammed Salisu blocked Anthony Martial’s headed follow-up and impressive teenager Tino Livramento cleared.
Greenwood dragged wide from distance and Salisu blocked Pogba’s strike as the visitors continued strongly, with the France midfielder then heading over Luke Shaw’s free-kick.
But it was the home side that took the lead in the 30th minute. Fernandes was furious, having felt he was fouled on the right by Jack Stephens, who left the Portuguese in a heap and continued to fizz across to Moussa Djenepo. The winger’s first-time ball was smartly flicked on by Adam Armstrong to Adams, who took a couple of touches and struck home from 20 yards via a deflection off Fred.
Fernandes was booked for his protests with the officials after the goal and Saints threatened a second, with Livramento superbly bursting down the right only to just over-hit a cross.
United leveled in the 55th as Pogba poked a ball from Fernandes on to Greenwood, whose shot beat Alex McCarthy and found the back of the net in front of the raucous traveling support.
Jadon Sancho replaced Anthony Martial and Pogba was soon teasing the Southampton defense before hitting a left-footed shot just across the face of the goal.
Greenwood headed onto the roof of the net and McCarthy produced an unorthodox save to deny Fernandes’ header.
Until that point, David De Gea had precious little to do but came to the rescue in the 73rd. James Ward-Prowse took the ball off Maguire, and Adams threaded through Armstrong to get a shot on goal.
With inputs from the Associated Press