Premiership: Solskjaer extends United's lead

Southampton 1, Manchester Utd 3 (latest)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has surely put Manchester United back on top of the Premiership pile at St Mary's with a third goal for the champions.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who earlier set a new Premiership record when he scored in his eighth successive Premiership game, passed to Solskjaer after a run and the Norwegian rattled home United's third.

United found themselves needing yet another of their famous fightbacks when James Beattie’s header gave Southampton the lead after just three minutes at St Mary’s.

In virtually their first attack, Paul Telfer played Jason Dodd through on the right to provide a perfect cross and the in-form Beattie out-jumped his marker to bury his 12th goal of the season even though diving keeper Fabian Barthez appeared to get a touch with a flailing left hand.

But United took only five minutes to level, the inevitable van Nistelrooy notching the goal to equal that Premiership sequence record.

Paul Scholes’s pass released the Dutchman into acres of space down the inside-right channel and although Paul Jones came off his line to make the angle more difficult, van Nistelrooy made no mistake with a low drive.

David Beckham gave the away side the lead on the stroke of half-time when he curled a free-kick into the net at the far post after Marsden fouled Veron.