Manchester United, true to form this season, dropped points after results elsewhere had put Champions League qualification in their own hands. 

Southampton took a deserved point in a keenly-fought encounter at Old Trafford with a last minute equaliser – but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s issues may extend far beyond the dropping of two admittedly valuable points.

At one point, Solskjaer’s team felt they should have played most of the game against ten men. But they didn’t. Instead, they finished the game with ten men, and suffered as a consequence.

This looked, on paper, the toughest game United have faced since playing Spurs in the opening game of the restart. And so it proved. Chelsea and Leicester both handed United an advantage by capitulating in their recent games but, with third place in their grasp, Solskjaer’s men end the day in fifth place.

There is still plenty to ponder about this United side and each game seems to provide as much evidence for those who are encouraged as it does for those who remain sceptical. 

And so it was here as Anthony Martial fluffed a golden chance to remind us all that he has faced criticism of his lack of conviction, and then Paul Pogba was caught in possession to bring to mind the many times that has happened to him before. This time it was costly; Danny Ings nicked the ball from the World Cup winner on the edge of the box – he played it to Nathan Redmond, whose cross was converted by Armstrong. Remarkably, Pogba then gave the ball away again in midfield, though this one went unpunished.

And then came the case for the defence. Pogba’s cross was well controlled by Martial in the box. He showed fine strength to hold off a challenge and then lay it off to Marcus Rashford, who stabbed it in.

Two minutes later United had turned it around. Fernandes found Martial on the left, and he dribbled inside before lashing home a fine effort. There’s your conviction, he appeared to be saying, as much to himself as anyone else.

Oriol Romeu was lucky not to have seen a red card for a dangerous tackle on Mason Greenwood, but United were not ruffled, and played some good football before the break, even if they didn’t threaten another goal.

United have generally been very good controlling the second half of games once they have a lead. The play is slower and more deliberate but with the occasional thrill. Rashford and Martial combined in style midway through the second half and the former almost scored from the move. In the 80th minute Martial, who has made a case of scoring his ‘best ever’ goals lately, almost topped the lot with a mazy dribble but he fired wildly over.

But the lead was much too slender to ever truly be considered comfortable in the same way as the other games. Southampton were better than recent visitors, and they were more ambitious. Solskjaer’s changes were tactical – Fred for Pogba – and forced – Williams for Shaw after a concerning ankle knock. Then even Fernandes and Greenwood – who had both been very poor – were withdrawn with result preservation the foremost consideration.

In the 86th minute Redmond forced a fine save from De Gea as Southampton turned the screw. United, from a position of control, were now seeing out the game with some trepidation. In the last minute, substitute Brandon Williams had to come off after a clash of heads saw him come out worse off – and the hosts, having used their three breaks but only four subs, were forced to see out the game with ten men.

There was a growing inevitability about Southampton’s pressure telling, and it did. In the 96th minute, a corner was zipped across and Michael Obafemi converted to equalise and snatch a point. David De Gea might have commanded his area better. Victor Lindelof might have been more aggressive in his challenge. Neither did, or were. 

Overall, United were very occasionally brilliant but mostly tired. It was the tiredness which ultimately told. Solskjaer will be hoping this was a one off, and not indicative of what to expect moving forward, but with injuries to Shaw and Williams, and flat performances from Pogba and Fernandes, there will naturally be some apprehension about the wheels coming off.

Selection

Once more Solskjaer named the same team. Once more, he faced questions over whether that would bring the right balance in terms of urgency, and not give way to complacency. Clearly it has been working but there have been strong enough setbacks to at least ask questions – against Bournemouth, United needed to be behind and to have a drinks break before they were prompted into ruthless action. Against Villa, they were the beneficiary of a debatable penalty. It should not just be taken for granted that just because United field their best team, it will so follow that they will play well and win. It also can’t be taken for granted that this is their best team yet. We have been here a few times in recent years.

It can’t be conclusively said that those early bumps were because of any complacency creeping in. But, equally, it was necessary for the counter argument to be put on the table, because when Ole first took over, there was an initial run of good form that lasted much longer than the good performances. 

It is critical for United that the performances are more convincing than the results, in a way, because that is a greater indication of substance. To Solskjaer’s credit, this has been one of his biggest achievements. It is too soon to say whether it was a fault to name the same side for the 5th game in a row but it certainly seemed to backfire.

Against the Saints we saw a familiar tale. Vulnerabilities were on display and then United responded with a bang. It’s a tolerable pattern so long as United win, but the weariness comes from those concerning moments having proven costly so often before. So the question mark will inevitably become – do those weaknesses undermine the progression, or do those players compensate for their own shortcomings? Does it matter if Pogba gives a goal away so long as he sets one up? Does it matter if Martial misses the easiest chance if he scores a harder one? It is a proper dilemma, though when United are winning, it is less of one.

When they are not winning, and it appears that players are suffering with tiredness, then it certainly is a dilemma. This seemed a natural opportunity to freshen things up and not just have players assume they are first choice.

Still, these are better problems to have than the still-too-fresh-in-the-memory visits of Southampton in recent years where they won without even conceding a shot on goal.

United are still in control of their own destiny. But so are Chelsea and Leicester. There is not much more time left to get over shooting yourself in the foot. 

Ratings :

De Gea 6

Wan-Bissaka 7

Lindelof  6

Maguire 5

Shaw 8

Matic 5

Pogba 6 

Fernandes 5

Greenwood 5

Rashford 6

Martial 6

Ratings :

Fred 5

Williams 

James

McTominay