Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw by strugglers Southampton at St Mary's Stadium in a Premier League match that saw all four goals scored in the first half.
The Saints edged in front through Stuart Armstrong's well-taken strike, before Cedric Soares added a second from a free kick 25 yards out.
United recovered well thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera, but they could not find a winner in a low-quality second half.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium. This evening's clash on the south coast brings together two sides whose managers are under the spotlight, as Mark Hughes and Jose Mourinho are in desperate need of a positive result to get their respective campaigns back on track.
The Saints have gone nine matches without a league win since September, leaving them in the relegation zone with nearly four months of the season played, while Man United have failed to win any of their last two matches. After going down 3-1 to rivals Manchester City prior to the international break, the Red Devils were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace on home soil last time out.
MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Matic, Shaw; McTominay, Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba; Rashford, Lukaku
SUBS: Lingard, Dalot, Fred, Romero, Martial, Mata, Rojo
Starting with a look at the visitors, Mourinho has made five changes on the back of the midweek win over Young Boys in the Champions League. Romelu Lukaku leads the line for United after being given a 26-minute appearance from the bench at Old Trafford a few days ago, but Marcus Rashford is also included from the off so it may well be a 4-4-2 formation of sorts for the Red Devils, which consists of a diamond midfield.
Diogo Dalot is surprisingly left on the bench once again, meaning that he is stuck on just two senior appearances since joining in the summer - the last of those coming in September. Ashley Young and the returning Luke Shaw are instead used at full-back, while Nemanja Matic looks as though he will start alongside Phil Jones at centre-back. Ander Herrera, left out of the matchday squad for United's last two games, is also brought back in.
Alternatively, it could be a three-at-the-back system for the visitors, which would mean Scott McTominay also dropping into the backline alongside Matic and Jones. Whichever way you look at it, this is not an ideal situation for Mourinho, who is without Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Matteo Darmian. Marouane Fellaini retains his place in central midfield after netting the winner against Young Boys, meanwhile, used this evening alongside the returning Paul Pogba.
SOUTHAMPTON TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: McCarthy; Yoshida, Vestergaard, Stephens; Valery, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Armstrong, Cedric; Redmond; Obafemi
SUBS: Gunn, Hoedt, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Austin, Gabbiadini
Switching focus to the home team, Mark Hughes has made just a couple of changes on the back of his side's encouraging display against Leicester City. The Saints lost that EFL Cup tie on penalties following a goalless draw in normal time, and nine of the starters from the King Power Stadium are used from the off this evening. That means a youthful looking side, including striker Michael Obafemi and defender Yan Valery.
One of the changes comes in goal, as Alex McCarthy takes over from Angus Gunn, while Cedric Soares is in for Matt Targett. Targett suffered a head injury in the penalty loss to Leicester and therefore had to undergo some tests ahead of this match, and it was deemed that he was not OK to feature. Ryan Bertrand also misses out with a back complaint, as do Shane Long and Danny Ings.
Credit to Hughes for going with youth, handing a full Premier League debut to Yan Valery at the back and a first top-flight start for Michael Obafemi at the other end of the field. It appears as though the Saints will again go with a 3-5-1-1 formation of sorts, which will see Cedric Soares and Valery operate down the flanks. Nathan Redmond, nearly the matchwinner against Leicester late on, will start just off Obafemi in attack.
Manchester United make five changes on the back of their late 1-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League in midweek, with Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba both returning to the side. Just the two alteration for Southampton from their EFL Cup loss to Leicester City, meanwhile, as Cedric Soares and Alex McCarthy are brought back in.
PREVIOUS MEETING! Southampton have gone five league and cup matches without a win in this fixture, losing three of those. The Saints are winless in 10 on home soil against Manchester United in all competitions - all but two of those ending in defeat - stretching back to a 1-0 triumph in August 2003 when James Beattie netted an 88th-minute winner.
Southampton are now without a win in nine league matches, drawing four and losing five to find themselves in the bottom three of the division. Since beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and drawing with Brighton & Hove Albion, the Saints have taken three points from a possible 24, coming in draws with Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Watford. It is a pretty terrible run of form that has seen the pressure constantly grow on Hughes.
Hughes saw his side lose 3-2 to Fulham last weekend to mark the lowest point of his tenure. The Welshman is stuck on three wins from 21 Premier League games in charge of Southampton, bringing up an average win rate of 14.3% - the lowest figure in the club's history, only accounting for those to have managed at least 20 matches. However, former Man United player Hughes is unbeaten in his last four meetings with Mourinho.
Hughes and Mourinho have some history, too, as the Welshman was unhappy with his opposite number's conduct after his Stoke City side stunned Man United in the early stages of last season. Things have gone massively downhill for Hughes since then, though he did at least manage to keep Southampton in the top flight when appointed with a third of last season to play. His reward for that was a three-year deal, which many are beginning to question.
Stuart Armstrong's double at Fulham last weekend offered the smallest of positives for Hughes to cling on to - the Scotsman's first brace since playing for Celtic nearly two years ago. It is fair to say that Hughes is running out of excuses, however, and reports earlier this week suggested that Saints chiefs could pull the plug in the coming days should today's match end in defeat.
Southampton's tricky run of fixtures may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise for Hughes, as the Saints may not want to bring in a new manager for Wednesday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur, which comes hot on the heels of this clash with Man United. Paulo Sousa is the name in the fame to replace Hughes, having been spotted watching on from the stands at Craven Cottage seven days ago. Sousa boasts experience in English football with Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Leicester City.
The midweek cup loss to Leicester was a little harsh on Southampton, as they were the better side on the net before going down 6-5 on penalties - Manolo Gabbiadini missing the decisive spot kick. Nathan Redmond also set up a late goal for Steven Davis, which was ruled out after the referee turned to VAR - a controversial call it was, too. Defeat it was, though, meaning that it is just one win in 11 since September 1, coming against Everton in the EFL Cup.
Hughes must now prepare his side for matches against Man United and Tottenham Hotspur - not ideal when you are badly struggling for points - and the fixture list does not look all that kind over the festive period, either. There are games against Cardiff City, Huddersfield and West Ham United, but the Saints must also face Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. It may well be that the south-coast side are still in the dropzone come the middle of January.
RESULTS! Southampton are now the last remaining Premier League side without a home win this season, as Crystal Palace beat Burnley 2-0 at Selhurst Park in one of the five early kickoffs. Huddersfield Town were defeated by Brighton & Hove Albion in another bottom-of-the-table clash, while Newcastle United went down 3-0 to West Ham United. At the other end, Manchester City were 3-1 winners against Bournemouth and Leicester City saw off Watford 2-0.
Manchester United have dropped to eighth in the Premier League table on the back of those early results, level on points with Leicester City following the Foxes' home win against Watford. At the other end, Southampton remain 19th in the division, two points adrift of safety. It remains awfully tight at the bottom, with victory for the Saints today enough to lift them up to 16th place.
Southampton have picked up just one win at St Mary's Stadium in 17 attempts, coming against Brighton & Hove Albion in April, giving them a return of seven points from a possible 48. The Saints have lost a Premier League-high 16 points from winning positions this season, meanwhile, including last time out at Fulham as Stuart Armstrong saw his early strike cancelled out.
United, by comparison, have won four and lost one of their last six matches in all competitions. That may sound like a fairly positive return on the face of it, but the Red Devils are hardly flying at the moment. Most recently, a last-minute goal was needed from Marouane Fellaini to shake off Young Boys in midweek to prevent a winner-takes-all showdown with Valencia in two weeks' time.
That win did at least get United's campaign back on track, as they had lost 3-1 to Man City and drew 0-0 with Palace in the Premier League following the resumption of club action. They are still struggling to produce performances at Old Trafford, which is a major concern for Mourinho - even if he does not admit so in public - and they have looked better on the road this term. There was a battling display at Chelsea, wins over Burnley, Watford and Bournemouth, plus a European triumph at Juventus.
United do still only have 10 points from seven away matches, however, and defeat this evening would equal their worst-ever Premier League return for away losses in a calendar year (7). Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United have both defeated the Red Devils at home this season, as have Manchester City, so Southampton should not look at this as an impossible challenge.
United have shipped five goals in the opening 15 matches of league games in 2018-19, which is a joint-high with Leicester City, Fulham and Cardiff City, while their goal difference of 1-0 is their worst in the top flight at this stage since 1977-78. However, four of the five sides immediately above United face off this weekend, so there is a chance to close the gap on Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Accounting for the games that have already taken place this weekend, United find themselves seven points adrift of the top four and are now an incredible 17 points behind Manchester City, with this game in hand to play. Just a reminder that we are less than four months into the season and even a Champions League spot seems too much for the Red Devils to aim for. No wonder Mourinho has come under serious pressure in recent weeks.
Mourinho accused his players of showing "a lack of heart" in the stalemate with Crystal Palace a week ago, though he did at least see his side keep a first clean sheet at Old Trafford since May. That was the Red Devils' 65th goalless draw in the 26 seasons of Premier League, 31% of which have come in the six campaigns since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Since Mourinho took over as United boss, in fact, only Southampton have played out more 0-0 draws.
DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United have come from behind to beat Southampton on eight previous occasions in the Premier League era - a joint-high in the competition. Romelu Lukaku scored the winner in the corresponding fixture last season, which is the only goal in the last three meetings between these two sides - the other two matches either side finishing 0-0.
With kickoff on the south coast now just a couple of minutes away, let us check out some pre-match comments from both camps.
Mark Hughes: "People will look at the games we have ahead of us and say it's a huge challenge, where actually, maybe we need to do it the hard way and that's the position we are in. We are not going to be fazed by the challenge and we are going to give it a real go. Manchester United at home will always get our supporters up and ready to go against them."
Jose Mourinho: "In December we can focus just on the Premier League. We need points. We want to improve our position in the table, we want to close the gap to the top four, we want to be smelling those positions."
KICKOFF: Southampton get us up and running at St Mary's Stadium in this sixth and final Premier League match of the day. I'll try to make sense of Manchester United's formation in the opening couple of minutes - I have it down as a 4-4-2, with a diamond midfield.
It looks as though the visitors will actually go with a back five of sorts, with Young and Shaw as full-backs and Matic and McTominay used either side of only recognised centre-back Jones. Southampton are also set out with five - or three, depending on whether they are attacking or defending - along the back.
SAVE! Alex McCarthy with a shocking clearance, which Marcus Rashford pounces on. The Englishman tried to be a little too clever with his backheel and, when Romelu Lukaku did finally work a shooting position, McCarthy had recovered to make a save down low.
United are seeing plenty of the ball in Southampton's half of the field in these early exchanges. The visitors should arguably be ahead, but Romelu Lukaku could not take that chance a couple of minutes ago following Alex McCarthy's initial header.
The visiting side have not done a great deal with a ball since that chance for Romelu Lukaku. Up the other end of the field, Southampton's only opening fell to Michael Obafemi, who cut inside but had his shot blocked.
Southampton are seeing very little of the ball, but in truth they are looking very comfortable in a defensive sense. United's only sight of goal came via a terrible mistake from goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
GOAL! SOUTHAMPTON 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED (STUART ARMSTRONG)
Southampton take the lead at St Mary's Stadium through a well-struck shot from Stuart Armstrong. Nathan Redmond and Michael Obafemi exchanged passes on the edge of the box and the latter slotted it through for Armstrong to fire across David de Gea. We have a shock on the cards!
It is probably worth pointing out at this point that Southampton have led in five Premier League games this season, but have won just one of them, drawing two and losing two. They have lost more points from winning positions than any other Premier League side in 2018-19 (10).
Must also be said that United's defending for that Southampton goal left a lot to be desired. A number of chances to tackle Nathan Redmond and Michael Obafemi came and went, before the latter picked out Stuart Armstrong to do the rest.
Nearly a quarter of the match played and United have not yet created anything through their own play. Romelu Lukaku's chance came as a result of Alex McCarthy's terrible clearance - that aside they have looked very one dimensional.
GOAL! SOUTHAMPTON 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED (CEDRIC SOARES)
What a strike from Cedric Soares! Marcus Rashford slid in on Mario Lemina to earn a yellow card, but further punishment was to follow as Soares found the top corner of the net from the resulting set piece, 25 yards from goal.
If the pressure was not on Jose Mourinho beforehand, it certainly is now. Southampton, who themselves have not really got out of first gear this evening, lead 2-0 with less than a third of the match played. Still time for the visitors to turn things around.
CHANCE! A rare opportunity for United as an Ashley Young cross from the right is met by the head of Scott McTominay, who could not keep his attempt down. Southampton have been enjoying far more of the ball since going two goals ahead.
Ed Woodward and Sir Alex Ferguson are watching on from the stands this evening, incidentally. Jose Mourinho barely budged after Cedric Soares gave Southampton a two-goal lead, as the pressure continues to mount on the Portuguese.
Marcus Rashford, devoid of any confidence, takes on a shot from range which was met by ironic jeers as it sailed high and wide. Nearly half an hour played and the Red Devils are in desperate need of some inspiration from somewhere.
Southampton win themselves a corner, which Stuart Armstrong sends into a dangerous area. It appeared to take a slight touch at the near post, but fortune was not on the Saints' side on this occasion.
Slightly better from United as Marcus Rashford picks out Romelu Lukaku, who is denied a chance to shoot at goal by Jannik Vestergaard. Southampton, it must be said, are looking incredibly comfortable at the moment.
GOAL! SOUTHAMPTON 2-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (ROMELU LUKAKU)
Romelu Lukaku drags Manchester United right back into the game by ending his 12-match goal drought. Good composure shown by the Belgian striker as he lifted the ball over Alex McCarthy after Marcus Rashford poked it into his path.
YELLOW CARD! Marouane Fellaini picks up his first Premier League booking of the season, and seconds later Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg joined him in the referee's notebook with a cynical trip. This match now has a bit of an edge to it at St Mary's.
Hughes will be desperate for his side to hold onto their one-goal advantage in these final stages of the first half. The Saints win a free kick in a good position, though, which Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg sent flying high over the crossbar.
GOAL! SOUTHAMPTON 2-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (ANDER HERRERA)
What a game! The fourth goal of the contest arrives with five minutes of the first half to go. Marcus Rashford appeared to carry the ball too far, but he was able to pull it back into the middle from the byline, where Ander Herrera flicked it past Alex McCarthy.
There had been two goalless draws between these sides in the last three meetings, remember, so this scoreline is a little surprising. Mourinho will be delighted with the fighting spirit shown by his players to drag themselves level.
Talk about the mood changing! All of a sudden it is United who are on a high, having netted two goals in the space of five minutes to draw themselves level. The Red Devils now have 45 minutes to complete the turnaround.
SAVE! United are starting to turn the screw now, as Ander Herrera - the scorer of his side's second goal - powers a shot down the middle. It was far too close to Alex McCarthy, though, meaning a simple stop at the end of this entertaining first half.
HALF TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 2-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United recover from two goals down to go into half time level at 2-2 against Southampton. Stuart Armstrong and Cedric Soares put the Saints in dreamland, but two goals in the space of five minutes from Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera means that we are all square.
Southampton had gone nine league games without a win heading into this one, and their lack of confidence was clear to see from the off as Alex McCarthy's poor clearance gifted the visitors an early chance. Marcus Rashford failed to pick out Ander Herrera with his backheel, however, and the keeper recovered in time to block the shot from Romelu Lukaku when it eventually arrived. It would be United's turn to fall apart 10 minutes later, as Stuart Armstrong fired across David de Gea once Michael Obafemi had prodded the ball through to him.
The Red Devils' evening went from bad to worse soon after as Cedric Soares guided a 25-yard free kick into the top corner of the net after Rashford brought down Mario Lemina. Having barely created anything from open play - Scott McTominay's wayward header from Ashley Young's cross aside - United somehow found themselves on level terms at half time thanks to a couple of quickfire goals.
Lukaku ended his 12-match scoring drought in United colours by lifting the ball over McCarthy, before Ander Herrera flicked the ball home at the end a cutback from Rashford, who also played a key part in the opener. Herrera then had a powerful shot from range kept out by McCarthy, so it remains 2-2 at the midway point.
SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Gunn, Hoedt, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Austin, Gabbiadini
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Lingard, Dalot, Fred, Romero, Martial, Mata, Rojo
KICKOFF: Manchester United get us back up and running at St Mary's Stadium. They may have recovered from a couple of goals down, but this will be considered two points dropped if it stays like this.
Marcus Rashford swings a corner into the box, but the whistle blew as Scott McTominay fouled Alex McCarthy. The Scottish midfielder still got his head to the ball, sending his effort over the crossbar.
United have seen plenty of the ball in the early stages of this second half, without really doing anything with it. That was also the case in the first half, which soon burst into life with a couple of Southampton goals.
The Red Devils are struggling to get out of second gear at the moment, perhaps explaining why Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial have been sent to warm-up. Nathan Redmond gets a telling off from the referee, seemingly for dissent.
CHANCE! Marouane Fellaini meets Ashley Young's free-kick delivery, but can only guide it over the crossbar. The man who scored United's late winner against Young Boys really should have been doing better from that position at the near post.
The opening 10 minutes of this second half have flown by. There has not been any chances of note so far, but it is United who are in complete control of possession. Both managers may well turn to their benches over the next five minutes.
Still not a great deal of action at the moment, as we approach the hour mark. Mourinho will surely turn to Jesse Lingard or Anthony Martial very shortly - or possibly even both. United have 32 minutes to find a winner here.
Paul Pogba, who picked up a caution less than 10 minutes ago, drags back his man. For a player of his experience, that was a strange foul to make - referee Kevin Friend reminds him that he has already been cautioned. From the free kick, Redmond's shot is easily dealt with by De Gea.
YELLOW CARD! United need to up the tempo if they are to take all three points from this match. Another yellow card now, the third of the match, as Jannik Vestergaard leaves out a leg for Ander Herrera to trip over. Pogba and Lemina are the other two to have been booked since the restart.
A brilliant first touch from former Southampton man Luke Shaw, but the second touch was not as good - the full-back sliced his long-range shot wide of the target. The Saints are now enjoying a spell on the ball in United's half of the field.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB! Southampton have just had a weak penalty shout rejected as McTominay got the ball before catching his man. Michael Obafemi, who has enjoyed a good full debut in the Premier League, is replaced by Manolo Gabbiadini.
A little over 20 minutes to go here and, despite his side needing a goal and not really looking like scoring it, Mourinho is opting against turning to his bench. Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were sent to warm-up a while back.
SAVE! Manolo Gabbiadini sets himself up nicely for the shot and then pokes it on goal for David de Gea to make another save, although a simple save it was. Up the other end, Romelu Lukaku's overhead kicked was comfortable for Alex McCarthy.
Diogo Dalot has been summoned for his Premier League debut. Luke Shaw appears to have picked up an injury, so the Portuguese youngster will have around 15 minutes to show supporters what he is capable of. Unless Shaw shakes off this knock, that is...
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! A strange one, as Luke Shaw looked as though he wanted to continue. Mourinho had already given his instructions to Diogo Dalot, though, and on comes the youngster for his Premier League debut.
Ashley Young initially did well, but his delivery into the middle was too close to Alex McCarthy. Nathan Redmond then sent a cross into the box at the other end of the field, which Manolo Gabbiadini could not get on the end of.
SAVE! Nathan Redmond is looking the liveliest player on the pitch at the moment, though this latest shot was rather poor, ending in the stands. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then attempted to catch out David de Gea, but the Spaniard back-peddled and made the save.
Mourinho finally turns to Anthony Martial for the final 10 minutes or so - enough time for the Frenchman to make an impact? The Red Devils have not deserved a third goal on the basis of what we have seen in this second half so far.
SAVE! Superb stop from David de Gea to push aside Nathan Redmond's powerful hit from range. That was as close as either side have come to a goal in this second period, of which just eight minutes remain. Time is fast running out for United.
A Southampton corner is headed wide of the post by Hojbjerg. Southampton continue to look comfortable at the back, though United have become experts of scoring late goals over the past month or so and should not be written off.
Impressive block from Ander Herrera to keep out Manolo Gabbiadini's shot. United are making far too much individual errors, with Romelu Lukaku tripping over the ball and injuring himself. The physio is on the field of play.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Jesse Lingard is brought on for the injured Romelu Lukaku in United's third and final change. Southampton also appear ready to make another sub, with Steven Davis stripping down. Two minutes of normal time to go here.
Four minutes have been added on at St Mary's Stadium. A free kick is won by the visitors, but Ashley Young's delivery is poor and Alex McCarthy was able to comfortably collect it. The Red Devils have lacked quality for all of five minutes today.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB! United have made a habit of snatching victories late on in stoppage time this season, but there is no sign of that happening here. Mario Lemina limps off the field to be replaced by the experienced Steven Davis.
FULL TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 2-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
A low in quality second half comes to an end, meaning that the points are shared at St Mary's Stadium. Manchester United quite simply did not do enough to score a winner in the second half, with all four goals coming in an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the south coast. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to join us again tomorrow for updates from three big Premier League derbies. See you then!
