Manchester United have wasted a gilt-edged opportunity to get into the top four after a second consecutive draw, this time against Southampton. Jadon Sancho getting on the scoresheet was the only positive for the Red Devils. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City ran riot against Norwich City to extend their lead to 12 at the top of the Premier League table.
United just can’t seem to get out of a rut at the moment as they dropped points at home against Southampton, their second draw in as many games. The game began on an interesting note as Cristiano Ronaldo came close to scoring but had to see his strike getting cleared off the goal-line.
The Red Devils then took the lead through Sancho. Bruno Fernandes’ fantastic long ball split the defence, which allowed Marcus Rashford get in behind the defenders and lay the ball for the England international to finish at the far-post inside 21 minutes.
The Saints responded well, though and forced United keeper David de Gea into making several saves. They came out strong on the other end of the half-time break and grabbed an equalizer after Che Adams’ astounding finish from a tight angle.
Southampton also had multiple chances to go ahead, but Stuart Armstrong and Armando Broja were guilty of being wasteful. Ronaldo also saw a close-range header being disallowed for offside.
The Portuguese forward hasn’t scored in any of his last six appearances in all competitions – this is his worst run at club level since January 2009. Ronaldo has also attracted criticism for not pressing enough or contributing to the United buildup.
Elsewhere, Manchester City cruised to a comfortable win against Norwich City. Pep Guardiola made a number of changes keeping in mind the midweek Champions League fixture. As a result, Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri didn’t start.
However, they got into their groove from the word go and put up yet another impressive display. The Citizens went into the half-time break with a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden.
Sterling doubled his tally after heading into an empty net. In the final minute of the match, City were awarded a spot-kick. Although Sterling saw his penalty being saved by Angus Gunn, he quickly reacted to the rebound to complete his hat-trick. With a convincing win, City are now 12 points ahead of rivals Liverpool who play against Burnley tonight.
