Making the Grade: Match Day 2, Manchester United vs. Southampton

Keepers

I said in the preview to the United match that Fraser Forster would be tested at a level beyond what he’d gotten from Watford. That assessment proved accurate; while Watford were only able to get 1 shot on target out of 5 taken, United’s numbers were 5 on target out of 12 total. That’s a 22% increase in shot accuracy, which meant the hulking netminder had much more to do to try to keep his team in it. That, of course, is before you consider who was doing the shooting: keeping out the likes of Rooney, Mata, Ibra, and Pogba is never going to be an easy day at the office.

Forster’s game wasn’t perfect; Zlatan’s header to put the Red Devils 1-0 up was definitely a savable shot though with Pogba in the box it’s understandable that the keeper would hesitate to commit. The second goal, coming as it did off a PK, isn’t really one I can hold Forster accountable for. Penalty kicks have something of a lottery feature to them, and the odds heavily favor the taker, so that can be excused. Aside from Zlatan’s two goals, though, Southampton’s keeper was rarely troubled to make a save; everything hit in his direction seemed to either go wide or directly to the big man. Overall, a good but not great game for the Number 1, in a match that could’ve been a lot worse than it was.

Grade: 7/10

Next: Defensive Domination