Van Persie double shoots United up to third

A fifth successive win that moved his Manchester United team up to third place and a personal triumph over rival Ronald Koeman, should have marked a memorable evening for Louis Van Gaal. Yet, while the United manager will certainly consider his trip to St Mary’s Stadium to have been a success, this could hardly be described as a job well done.

Victory was achieved through two pieces of instinctive finishing by Robin Van Persie, either side of Graziano Pelle’s 10th goal of the season, and a combination of good fortune and wasteful Southampton finishing. If Van Gaal needed any reminders his side remains a work in progress, it came in the first half hour here.

Even so, the United manager can also take great satisfaction that his team also appears to have rediscovered the art of winning games.

“I don’t think we played our best today, we were a bit sloppy... but in the end we nicked it,” said a delighted Van Persie.

Southampton have been outstanding at times this season and while Manchester City were more convincing in winning 1-0 here eight days previously, United are clawing their way back towards the top of the Premier League, although they remain eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea.

The fallout between Van Gaal and Koeman dates back 10 years when the pair’s relationship fell apart when Koeman was first team coach at Ajax and Van Gaal filled the role of technical director at the club.

Both men were anxious to play down suggestions of a lingering feud in the build-up to the game and a pre-match handshake between the Dutchmen diverted attention away from the touchline.

Van Persie’s clever finish certainly gave the visitors the ideal start and in previous seasons, might have meant the home side had little hope of recovery. Not this time.

Fonte appeared to have everything under control when he moved to collect Wayne Rooney’s flick halfway inside his own half but the centre-back made the mistake of playing the ball back towards his keeper without checking his blindside and Van Persie nipped in to put his side ahead with a precise finish.

Having suffered defeat in their previous two games, against Manchester City and Arsenal, Southampton’s confidence might have dipped. Instead, they responded by dominating the rest of the half to the extent they should have reached the break in complete control of the game.

Van Gaal had opted for a back three of Paddy McNair, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo, with Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia as wing-backs; unconvincing on paper, even more so in practice. It didn’t help that the backline was offered little protection by the midfield with Marouane Fellaini reversing his recent progress, and the effect was shambolic.

The visitors were forced into a reshuffle when Smalling pulled up with a groin problem in the 16th minute and was replaced by Jonny Evans, but the pattern had been set.

Shane Long missed a good opportunity to score and Pelle should have been celebrating his hat-trick before he finally brought his side level in the 31st minute, after Fellaini’s misplaced pass set in motion a Southampton attack that United failed to deal with, the ball eventually falling to Pelle to drill home from close range.

McNair was withdrawn in the 39th minute as Van Gaal attempted to plug the gaps and half-time presented the Dutchman with the opportunity to exert his influence. But whatever the manager’s message, it didn’t appear to have sunk in, with Southampton carrying on where they left off with Long heading over and Dusan Tadic drawing a fine save from David De Gea.

Southampton, though, had already exposed their own vulnerabilities at the back and they matched Fonte’s earlier ineptness when Van Persie was allowed to drift around the back of the defence and meet Rooney’s deep free-kick at the far post and volley home from four yards out.

Finally Southampton’s will appeared to have been broken, and Van Gaal’s side hung on.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): Forster 6; Clyne 7, Yoshida 6, Fonte 4, Bertrand 6; Wanyama 7, Davis 8; Long 6 (Mayuka 79,6), Tadic 7 (Hesketh 70, 6), Mane 7; Pelle 8.

MANCHESTER UNITED (3-5-2): De Gea 7; McNair 5 (Herrera 39, 6), Smalling 6 (Evans 18, 6), Rojo 5, Valencia 4, Fellaini 4, Carrick 7, Mata 6 (Fletcher 89,6), Young 6; Rooney 7, Van Persie 9.

Referee: Kevin Friend.