Bruno Fernandes fine volley in the second half proved to be the point of difference between hosts Southampton and Manchester United in the visitors' 1-0 win at St Mary's Park on Saturday.
READ: Former Chinese badminton reveals she was ordered her to lose Sydney Olympics 2000 semi-final
This is Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag's first away win. After a brutal 4-0 demolition at the hands of Brentford two weeks back, United brought their season back on track with an impressive win over arch-rival Liverpool at home.
Heading into this match, the side was looking forward to building on that win and momentum from it. The first 20 minutes had very even gameplay before Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made a brilliant to deny Anthony Elanga the first goal.
Further before the second half, the hosts did some solid defending to keep away Bruno and Christian Eriksen away from the net, and the lead. Ten Hag's side controlled the possession of the ball largely but Southampton continued to look dangerous. Defender Armel Bella-Kotchap could have broken the deadlock in 30 minutes, but failed.
Then United goalie David de Gea made a brilliant save to thwart an attempt by Che Adams just minutes later. As the first half ended, the scoreline read 0-0.
READ: IND vs PAK: 'Tried to build pressure on Hardik Pandya but he kept his calm', says Pakistan skipper Babar Azam
Four minutes after the break, United could have scored but Scott McTominay's effort was saved by Buzunu at the near post. Finally, in the 55th minute of the match, Fernandes applied a brilliant finish to a cross by Diogo Dalot and gave his side the lead.
Southampton had their share of chances throughout the match, but great defending from United and some solid saves from de Gea kept the hosts out of the match. With this win, United has ended their run of seven straight away defeats in Premier League and has extended their unbeaten run against Southampton in their backyard to 15 games across all competitions.
.
