Back to winning ways? De Ligt, Rashford, Garnacho on target as Man U defeats Southampton

By Okezie Omorogie

In game week 4 after the international break, Manchester United secured a much-needed 3-0 victory against Southampton at St. Mary’s stadium, with goals from Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho easing the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

The win came after Andre Onana’s crucial penalty save from Cameron Archer, which was awarded after a Diego Dalot’s clear foul on Tyler Diblings. The save swung the momentum in United’s favor. De Ligt opened the scoring shortly after the save, netting his first goal for the club, followed by Rashford’s first goal of the season, leaving Southampton unable to recover.

Southampton, newly promoted to the Premier League, started the match brightly, with young winger Tyler Dibling causing early problems for United’s defense. However, a missed penalty by Archer in the 33rd minute marked a turning point, as United capitalized on the opportunity with De Ligt’s header from a Bruno Fernandes cross. Rashford doubled the lead shortly after, curling a shot past Aaron Ramsdale from outside the box after a pass from Amad Diallo.

Despite some early pressure from the Saints, United controlled much of the second half, with Rashford and Noussair Mazraoui both coming close to adding a third. Southampton’s hopes to get back into the game was lost as captain Jack Stephens was shown a straight red card after a dangerous foul on Garnacho in the 79th minute.

Alejandro Garnacho sealed the victory for United with a stoppage-time goal, ending any hope of a Southampton comeback. The win lifts United’s spirits after back-to-back defeats, while Southampton’s search for their first Premier League point of the season continues.