Southampton forced Manchester United to come out with a draw after a great defensive performance which saw them prevent their opponent from accessing free space for most of the game.
The strength of Mauricio Pellegrino’s side came from the midfield who played a big role in their defensive excellence, making players like Oriol Romeu, Dusan Tadic and especially Pierre Emile Hojberg play an important role in the defensive side of play. They worked on minimizing space for Pogba, Matic and Lingard.
The result was great for Southampton, as Manchester United only managed to make 3 shots on target throughout the whole game. This means that the United midfield was under pressure for long periods of time and Hojberg had a big role in this aspect.
Whereas Tadic played the role of connecting the midfield and attack, Hojberg provided balance for the side in midfield.
The Danish midfielder had great numbers, winning the ball back 5 times and winning 13 slide tackles. He made 92% of his passes, and helped his team limit United’s potential to surprise and comeback as they did against Burnley.
Indeed, Southampton failed to be as dangerous in attack, but the defensive performance at the Old Trafford need a player such as Hojberg, hence why he won the Samsung QLED Player of the Week.
