Manchester's Red Devils win 3-2 over Southampton's Saints

Manchester United faced Southampton this past Sunday at St. Mary's Stadium and took the win with a 3-2 score.  This was Southampton's second time in three matches having a 2-1 lead over United and failing to hold it till the end.  This was quite a challenge match for United as they were down by one in both halves.  United came in with a formation of 4-3-2-1.  Defense was comprised of De Gea, Evra, Vidic, Evans, and Da Silva, Cleverley and Carrick made up the defensive midfield.  Nani, Kagawa, and Valencia made up the attacking midfield, and Van Persie took lead as striker.

Although the results seem to tell otherwise, United had a difficult time dominating the field.  Southampton, on the other hand, had it all for a winning match.

As the game started, both teams seemed to have equal possession of the ball.  The first chance came for Van Persie in the 7th minute as he found space but fired a shot wide of the post.  In the 16th minute, Schneiderlin passed to Puncheon, who crossed it towards the back post.  Rickie Lambert found the ball and scored a surprising goal for Southampton.

In the 23rd minute of play Van Persie manages to tie down the game 1-1 after a crosses from Valencia.  As the first half went on, United struggled to keep track of their movement and speed.  Southampton had no trouble taking control of the match after witnessing mistakes from United.  This was where the Saints proved that they too were capable of playing elegant soccer.

After a rocky first half United seemed to be at ease and playing a bit more calm.  In the 56th minute of play, Southampton's very own Schneiderlin scored his first ever home goal with a header.  Once again, the Saints took the lead over the Red Devils, Sir Alex Ferguson looking a bit frustrated on the side lines.  He had every right to be frustrated.

As the minutes ran out in the half, Fonte challenged Van Persie from behind and created a clear penalty for United.  And if it was not enough with United playing quite badly, Van Persie missed the penalty.  The ball just did not connect correctly and Davis was able to stop the shot.  Opportunities like those are significant in a game when you're down a goal. 

 
After this, the game became desperate on both ends, but the Saints took charge once again.  Luckily in the 88th minute after Nani's poor corner, Rafael took a shot to find Ferdinand unmarked in the middle, who headed the ball but hits the post.  The rebound fell to Van Persie's feet, who quickly took a successful shot.

The game was then tie 2-2.  As the half wound to a close, the referee gave four minutes of overtime.  The Saints seemed to have a chance as they took shots, but at the 90+2 minute the talented Van Persie did it again.  After a corner from Nani, Van Persie managed to head an excellent ball past Davis.  Overtime minutes can be quite the game changer.

Van Persie was the significant difference between a dominating Southampton and a poor match by United.  Although Manchester United had a rocky match, they never seem to fall short of having a team member take charge and finishing the job.  With his amazing hat-trick, Van Persie helped himself to his 100th Premier League goal.  Van Persie showed full class, even after missing a penalty.  Opportunities like that are when Van Persie demonstrates his talent even more.

Van Persie told reporters, “I don’t know what I was thinking about with the penalty." He went on to add, "I wanted to hit it hard as always, but changed my mind at the last second.”

The next match for United will be held on September 15 at home vs. Wigan Athletic.

written by Cristina Loza