Manchester United's struggles continued as they settled for a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday. United started the match strong at Old Trafford, creating several scoring chances before Jadon Sancho met a low cross from Marcus Rashford to score the opening goal in the 21st minute, marking the English player's first goal at his club's home ground.
However, similar to their previous match against Burnley, United's performance dipped after scoring, and they conceded an equalizer shortly after halftime through Scotland international Che Adams in the 48th minute. Southampton squandered two dangerous opportunities amid growing frustration from fans after United failed to hold on to their lead once again.
Cristiano Ronaldo believed he had scored the winning goal for United in the closing moments, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. The veteran forward has not scored in his last six appearances across all competitions, marking the longest drought at club level since going seven games without a goal between December 2008 and January 2009. United remains in fifth place with 40 points from 24 matches, 20 points behind leaders Manchester City, while Southampton stayed in tenth place.
United has struggled to find the back of the net recently, managing only three goals despite taking 70 shots over their last three matches in all competitions. Ronaldo, returning to the starting lineup after being a substitute against Burnley, came close to scoring after dribbling past goalkeeper Fraser Forster, but Romain Perraud successfully cleared the effort.
Bruno Fernandes passed the ball to Rashford, who then set up Sancho to score and give the home side the lead. Afterwards, Stuart Armstrong came close to scoring for the visitors twice, while Perraud’s attempts went in vain thanks to the excellent save from goalkeeper David de Gea.
After the break, Southampton equalized through Adams, bringing his total to six goals in the league this season. Despite a 9-0 victory over Southampton last season, United could not reach the net again or secure the win. De Gea continued to shine, keeping United level by saving a shot from the lively Armando Broja.
As the match concluded, fans expressed their displeasure, frustrated with interim coach Ralf Rangnick's inability to steer the team back to the right path.
