Manchester United picked up the three points on Saturday while taking on Southampton, with Matthijs de Ligt the standout performer.
For Manchester United, Saturday’s trip to St. Marys’ was a must-win affair, and that is exactly what the Red Devils managed to pull off.
A dominant 3-0 win places United back in the win column with Matthijs de Ligt’s goal opening the scoring. This followed Andre Onana’s game-changing intervention.
Marcus Rashford scored the second, firing home from outside the box with a placed shot which beat Aaron Ramsdale.
The rout was completed by Alejandro Garnacho, as he finished brilliantly in added time at the end of the game.
But of all the performances, it was De Ligt who really caught the eye and was praised by Erik ten Hag in doing so.
Matthijs de Ligt shines in man of the match display
After a nightmare on international duty for the Netherlands, De Ligt will have been delighted to be back at United and his performance is one which is hugely encouraging.
Starting only his second game as a United player, already De Ligt looks like a natural and he was even handed the Man of the Match award by TNT Sports.
| Stat | Vs. Southampton |
| Minutes played | 87 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Passing | 59/62 (92%) |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Touches | 78 |
| Tackling | 1/2 (50%) |
| Cleared off the line | 1 |
| Blocks | 1 |
| Clearances | 6 |
| Defensive actions | 11 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Duels | 6/8 (75%) |
Not only did De Ligt score, but defensively he was the kind of defender that United have been longing for.
The Dutchman made some key interventions including preventing a Cameron Archer tap-in with an excellent interception.
De Ligt could also be seen at times getting his defensive teammates hyped up and motivating them after key defensive moments.
Ultimately it was an outing which would have locked him in as a started and undroppable for the next few games at the very least.
Manchester United’s standout gives injury update
After such a dominant defensive display, De Ligt’s afternoon ended abruptly when he was taken off with a potential injury, but after the game, he confirmed that it was just a cramp.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just had a little cramp. I wanted to play till the end, but the coach decided to take me off.”
This is a real relief after Lisandro Martinez was also forced off with a suspected injury concern.
De Ligt has established himself as a sure starter for the foreseeable future after this display and as he gets better, his confidence will improve and this will only lead to better performances.
Now, Ten Hag will just be hoping that Martinez’s injury is not serious and that he can field this duo again next weekend as it kept a clean sheet at St. Marys’.
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