Slick Southampton expose Man United limitations

Man United 0 Southampton 1: Dusan Tadic claimed the late goal that kept Southampton on course for the most improbable Champions League bid in recent Premier League history while ending Manchester United’s recent resurgence in emphatic fashion.

The Saints’ first victory at Old Trafford for 27 years, their first ever in the Premier League, was fully merited and halted an 11-match unbeaten run that had left United and their new manager Louis van Gaal dreaming of even challenging Chelsea and Manchester City for first place over the second half of the season.

Indeed, as Van Gaal deals with the second guessing that will inevitably follow his role in this second home reverse of the season, one suspects the pragmatic Dutchman would hurriedly accept a guarantee of a fourth-placed finish were it on offer.