Southampton jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but settled with a 2-2 draw, marking 20 points dropped from leading positions under Mark Hughes.
It was not all negative however, as Southampton really gave a gutty performance and made an argument for outplaying United. The Red Devils had opportunities to win the game late with a couple of set pieces, but the Southampton back line held strong to come away with a point.
Mark Hughes gave Michael Obefemi and Yan Valery their first Premier League starts and went with an identical 3-5-2 shape from the midweek match against Leicester. As much speculation as there has been around the Saints’ boss’ future, fans should credit his willingness to change things up. Obefemi was a real spark, assisting on Stuart Armstrong’s opening goal, and Valery showed a ton and confidence and poise for a nineteen year old. If you haven’t yet, Valery’s post game interview is worth a watch.
The draw leaves Southampton within the relegation zone heading into another tough game, traveling to Wembley, to take on Tottenham midweek. The difficult opponent is compounded with the loss of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina to yellow card accumulation, which likely brings veterans Oriol Romeu and Steven Davis back into the mix.
For the first time in a long time, Southampton have more than three options for key players, and here are our thoughts on who deserves the most credit.