Southampton 2-3 Man Utd, Player Ratings: Clinical Cavani saves De Gea's blushes
Manchester United produced another dramatic, late comeback as they recovered from two goals down to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary's Stadium.
Jan Bednarek opened the scoring for the home side before James Ward-Prowse doubled the advantage with a free-kick. Bruno Fernandes pulled a goal back just before the hour mark before Edinson Cavani struck twice, the second deep into stoppage time.
So who were the best and worst performers on both sides?
✔️ GOOD PERFORMANCE
Ward-Prowse's free kick goal means that David Beckham is now the only Englishman to have scored more free-kicks in Premier League history than the Southampton man.
The midfielder showed he is one of the most under-rated technicians in the league and few strike the ball as well as Ward-Prowse from dead-balls. He demonstrated this by delivering a curling and dipping corner for Bednarek to head home the opener.
❌ BAD PERFORMANCE
David de Gea has been a shadow of his former great self over the past couple of seasons or so and he was once again guilty of a high-profile error in this match.
With Man Utd already a goal behind from Jan Bednarek's header from a corner, De Gea failed horribly to stop Ward-Prowse's free-kick in the 33rd minute. While the Englishman curled the ball over the wall beautifully, a top goalkeeper should be keeping out an effort that was neither in the corner, nor hit with too much pace. Was it any coincidence that his replacement at half-time, Dean Henderson, kept a clean sheet in the second half?
⭐ STAR MAN
The Uruguayan veteran completely changed the game after being introduced for Mason Greenwood at half time. He levelled the scores with a fine header with just 15 minutes remaining before dramatically winning the match deep into stoppage time with another clinical finish.
Cavani had an impressive four shots in the second half, as well as four touches in the box. He also created a big chance for a team-mate as the 33-year-old showed why Man Utd decided to sign him this summer.
Southampton v Man Utd: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats