Anthony Martial: Player Rating and Performance v Southampton
Manchester United blew a huge chance to move into third in the Premier League table on Monday after succumbing to a last-minute equaliser for Southampton as they drew 2-2 at Old Trafford.
An assist and a goal from Anthony Martial put United ahead for the majority of proceedings, only for Michael Obafemi to smuggle a strike home in the dying seconds to deny Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side all three points.
What was Martial's overall display like?
📷 Match Snapshot
Normally ice cool in front of goal, Martial actually passed up a golden opportunity relatively early on when he pounced on a mistake from James Ward-Prowse to burst through on goal one-on-one with the keeper. He attempted to lift the ball over the oncoming Alex McCarthy, who did well to stand tall for the save.
Then, Southampton took the lead after a lovely goal from Stuart Armstrong.
Martial was instrumental in United's first-half comeback, though.
A ⏱️ 20' Just eight minutes after the Saints took the lead, things were back on level terms. Paul Pogba strokes a cross into the path of Martial, who attempts to find that yard of space to fire a shot on goal. Instead, while apparently being fouled, he manages to stab a pass square for Marcus Rashford to slot a finish into the bottom corner, all while falling to the floor.
⚽ ⏱️ 23' Then, the home side turned things around to make it 2-1, and the goal was vintage Martial. After collecting the ball down the left channel, the pacey Frenchman embarks on an incisive dribble, taking numerous touches to ensure he never loses control of the ball, before finally lashing an emphatic finish into the top left corner from the edge of the box.
He nearly scored a slightly similar goal in the second half, instead this time running from midfield through the middle, but the screwed finish wide denied him a second.
Man Utd 2-2 Southampton: Full Player Ratings and Statistics
Despite usually having numerous players around him, Martial's passing stats remain tremendous as he very rarely gives the ball away. Yes, he attempts much less passes than the players in deeper positions, but completing 17/18 attempted balls to team-mates is still impressive.
He had 41 touches of the ball, completed five dribbles, and sent 11 passes into the final third.
On the night, he recorded a 9.1 FC Rating.
〽️ Rating Week-on-Week
✔️ IMPROVEMENT
Recently most of the plaudits have been going to Mason Greenwood, even if Martial did record an assist against Aston Villa and a goal against Bournemouth.
Against Villa he earned a 7.7 FC Rating, with the outing against Southampton representing a boost to a 9.1 FC Rating, as he once again proved his massive worth to United's new-look forward line.
🗝️ Key Stats
Martial match stats
| Statistic | Value | Notes |
| FC Rating | 9.1 | 🏆 FC Man of the Match |
| Mins Played | 90 | |
| Touches | 41 | |
| Touches In Box | 8 | Rank #1 |
| Shots | 4 | |
| On Target | 2 | |
| Goals | 1 | |
| Assists | 1 |
What Next?
It was certainly a setback for United not moving into the top four, but they are still in with a great shout of leapfrogging in to the Champions League qualification spots between now and the end of the campaign.
Martial has emerged as one of the first names on the teamsheet, and it is his current run of form, among other players, which suggest United will indeed reach their target of the top four.