Erik ten Hag probably crossed a lot of items off his list before leaving St Mary’s if he had made a list of things he wanted to see from Manchester United’s trip to Southampton.
Andre Onana had a perfect record. Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez put on a great show, and their mutual understanding seems to be deepening.
A strong start for Manuel Ugarte off the bench, a stress-free afternoon for the rarely seen Christian Eriksen, some exquisite touches by Joshua Zirkzee, and a much-needed, confidence-boosting goal from Marcus Rashford—Matterson United’s much-maligned number ten—all contributed to the victory.
After a dismal campaign with only eight goals, and without a goal in his previous four games in 2024–2025, there was a noticeable sense of relief when Rashford’s delicate, curving effort found the far corner of Aaron Ramsdale’s net shortly before halftime.
The goal, along with De Ligt’s first goal and Onana’s crucial penalty save, virtually ended the match.
Erik ten Hag is happy with Manchester United’s victory.
“Every game must be won by you. We accomplished that today, and sometimes you have to figure out a way to prevail, Ten Hag says to TNT Sports (September 14, 2:45 p.m.). “We had some issues in the first few minutes.
“I believe the game was all ours after Andre stopped the penalty and the goal from Matthijs de Ligt.”
Going above and above off the pitch, Rashford has been making an effort to shake off his recent slump. Rejected from the England team once more, he trained with coach Ryan Hopper during the international break. Hopper had nothing but admiration for the Carrington graduate’s mindset and attitude.
And in the second half on the banks of the Solent, Rashford raced at a trembling Southampton backline with a freedom and a returning swagger.
Usually, the best treatment for a forward lacking confidence is a goal. Gradually, minute by minute, Rashford’s confidence seems to be regaining strength.
Ten Hag responds, “Very important,” to Rashford’s opening goal of the campaign. “We chatted prior to the match. It’s enormous for him and all strikers. On the list of points, you want to be.
“He’s got his first one now, and I have no doubt he will get more.”
