A solitary strike from Romelu Lukaku saw Manchester United sneak their way past Southampton in a 1-0 win at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho’s had to struggle for their three points on the day and had some stellar defending from Phil Jones in particular to thank for their clean sheet.
Lukaku’s 20th minute strike secured the win for the away side but they were far from convincing.
Here’s what we learned from the encounter.
DE GEA DELIVERS AGAIN
Season after season, David de Gea proves himself as one of United’s standout performers. Even with rumours linking him to a move to Real Madrid surfacing every time a transfer window comes around, he’s been a model professional and has always given his best on the pitch.
In the first half at Anfield he pulled off a trademark De Gea save to deny Joel Matip from point-blank range which was truly world class. With the defender connecting well with Roberto Firmino’s cross, the Spaniard instinctively stuck out his left leg to prevent a certain goal.
David de Gea
MOURINHO WON’T GIVE UP BUS IN TITLE CHASE
While a point at Anfield is a fair result, United fans can’t be pleased with the performance on Saturday. The visitors were toothless in attack, creating zero chances bar a Romelu Lukaku shot that was saved by Simon Mignolet in the first half.
However, if United are to win the title, this is the kind of display their fans may just have to accept under Mourinho. The Portuguese will always look to contain rather than attack away to top six opposition. In previous title races though, he’s been successful in his strategy so who’s to say it won’t work again?
Jose Mourinho
UNITED MISSED POGBA’S X-FACTOR
With United sitting back as much as they did, chances to score were always going to be few and far between. As it turned out, they were virtually non-existent. In a situation like that, you need players who can create something out of nothing and Paul Pogba is certainly one of them.
Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic both did a job defensively but offered no drive from midfield and that meant Henrikh Mkhitrayan and Lukaku both suffered as a result.
Paul Pogba (L)