United probably won’t be impressed that Obafemi came on as substitute for Romeu, who should have been sent off in the first half. Maybe all these VAR cock-ups even out over the season, who knows. Southampton were very good, though, and I hope the Romeu incident doesn’t overshadow that.

Manchester United stay in fifth place after a frustrating draw against an impressive Southampton. A ravenous Anthony Martial turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead during a pulsating first half, but United sat on that lead after the break and were punished when the substitute Michael Obafemi scored an injury-time equaliser.

90+7 min You can’t really begrudge Southampton their equaliser. They’ve been the better team in the second half.

It was a superb ball in from the left by Ward-Prowse. Bednarek flicked it on at the near post and Obafemi forced it over the line from a yard.

90+6 min Redmond wins a corner for Southampton...

90+4 min There will be five minutes of added time. I’m not sure whether that includes the stoppage for the Williams injury or not.

90+3 min Williams walks slowly off the field and is accompanied down the tunnel. United are down to 10 men and Fred has gone to left back.

90+3 min “Nothing says United are back more than United being outplayed at home by a 12th-placed team and the fans and MBM saying ‘great game, great game’,” says Arthur Tee.

90+2 min Walker-Peters is on his feet but Williams is still being treated. He’s sitting up and is conscious, if groggy.

90+1 min Williams has a gashed head and I doubt he’ll be able to continue. Both teams have used their three substitution blocks.

90 min A clash of heads between Williams and Walker-Peters leads to a break in play.

89 min They’re a pestilent team, Southampton, and I say that with love. They never give opponents a minute’s peace.

88 min Redmond’s cross is headed away by the stooping Matic. United are hanging on a wee bit.

87 min Southampton bring on Michael Obafemi for Oriol Romeu.

86 min: Good save from de Gea! Chris Kavanagh played a good advantage, allowing Redmond to zip past Matic and smack a shot across goal that was punched over the bar by the flying de Gea. It was a camera-friendly save, but a good one nonetheless.

85 min “Agree, Rob, great game,” says Simon McMahon. “And great MBM too. No stereotypes here of course, but hope all your other readers are steaming too. It is Monday night after all.”

84 min A double change for United: Dan James and Scott McTominay replace Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes. United’s revised midfield - Matic, Fred, McTominay - is a reflection of how threatening Southampton have been.

83 min Ward-Prowse is fouled on the edge of the area by Fred. The referee waves play on. But it’s another reminder of Southampton’s threat; they’ve been the better team in the second half.

82 min Long’s header is comfortably saved by de Gea. He was moving away from goal so couldn’t really generate any power.

81 min “This probably requires an entirely separate blog, but what do you think happened with LVG?” says Mark Hooper. “Off the back of the brilliant Netherlands World Cup performances, a blinding pre-season where they were racking up baseball scores if not cricket scores - and all of a sudden he started moaning about not having players good enough for his system, culminating in the night of the long knives after a cup defeat where he sacked half of their promising academy players …? Was he right? Was he past it? I still can’t get my head around it!”

Not a clue. I know a few United fans who loathe him, much more than Moyes and Mourinho. I didn’t really watch much football in his two years at United, which makes me one of the lucky ones.

80 min Martial shoots over from the edge of the box after a terrific 60-yard run that was three parts skill, one part luck.

78 min I’ve just realised I’ve hardly mentioned Mason Greenwood. He’s had a very quiet game, and his main contribution so far has been to receive Oriol Romeu’s studs on his ankle.

76 min Whatever the result, Southampton have been impressive tonight. They look very well coached - and also, for a team with nothing much to play for, extremely motivated.

75 min Shaw limps off to be replaced by Brandon Williams.

74 min Smallbone’s dangerous low cross is put behind by Lindelof in the six-yard box. That was good defending, because Shane Long was waiting behind him to score.

74 min “Hi Rob,” says Sean Revill. “I think Martial’s debut season showed that he could be great, even playing in a late LVG team that was averse to chance creation. Then he was up & down under Mourinho, likely as he never really had the manager’s backing and was made to compete with Rashford for a place. I do remember he was in incredible form in the winter of the 17/18 season under Mourinho, before he was bombed out of the team to make room for Sanchez. That worked out well, didn’t it?”

He played up front quite a lot under van Gaal as well, didn’t he?

73 min Luke Shaw has twisted his right ankle while putting a cross in. He’s struggling here.

70 min Southampton use the drinks break to bring on Will Smallbone for Stuart Armstrong.

69 min Rashford beat Walker-Peters at the start of the move with a delicious, Neymaresque piece of skill. He had the ball glued to his right foot as he dragged it to the left and then, in the same movement, knocked it through Walker-Peters’ legs.

68 min: Great defending from Bertrand! That was almost a glorious goal from United. Rashford cut infield from the left, played a lovely one-two with Martial and hit a shot from six yards that was brilliantly blocked by Bertrand.

64 min Fred comes on to replace Paul Pogba, a reflection of how relatively vulnerable United have been in midfield. And Southampton bring on Shane Long for Che Adams.

63 min This is a good spell for Southampton. Walker-Peters, on the right of the area, drives a fine low cross that goes through Maguire’s legs and across the six-yard box.

62 min “Right or wrong: that if Martial was being managed by a Klopp or even a Pochettino, no-one would be hesitating to cite that as the reason for his improvement?” says Geoff Wignall. “It could just be that he now has a better manager than hitherto.”

Geoff, I’m afraid you’ve made the basic error of giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer credit for something.

61 min The game is still very open, and so the next goal feels huge. You might even go so far as to say it will make it 3-1 or 2-2.

57 min “Just saying no one questions De Gea’s work-rate when he welcomes in soft goals with open arms,” says Lewis Atkins. “Maybe the reason Martial wasn’t scoring like this before is that the others around him weren’t good enough.”

That’s definitely a big part of it. But so is his change in attitude, at least in my opinion.

56 min An excellent effort from Rashford, who crunches a dipping shot into the side-netting from 25 yards. McCarthy was scrambling across his line and probably had it covered. Walker-Peters was booked for handball in the build-up.

54 min “With all this focus on Martial,” says Ian Copestake, “I wonder if Ings will continue to show what resurgence really means.”

Don’t call it a comeback.

53 min Stephens is booked for hoofing Fernandes as if he was an old sock, and has the effrontery to accuse Fernandes of diving.

52 min Ings bulldozes through Lindelof in the area and hits a snapshot that is very well blocked by a United defender. At the other end, Rashford is put through on the left side of the area, but Bednarek blocks his attempted pass to Martial.

51 min Stephens is back on.

51 min Stephens is down after being landed on by Marcus Rashford. He’s limping to the sideline for more treatment.

50 min “This whole ‘Martial resurgence’ thing is nonsense,” says Lewis Atkins. “He’s always been an extremely talented, hard-working and determined athlete, the reason his runs are paying off more in this run is that Rashford isn’t the only player supporting him. He’s got Fernandes, and now Pogba, to feed him, with Wan-Bissaka as well. The only one ‘key’ to Martial’s recent performances has been himself.”

He’s always been hard-working and determined? I agree it’s not a resurgence because, despite his obvious talent, he’s never been this good before.

49 min Redmond, found in space by Ward-Prowse, drives not far wide from inside the D.

47 min “Stuart Armstrong is an exceptional player and I’m surprised a bigger club hasn’t yet taken a chance on him,” says Simon McMahon. “He’s the midfield equivalent of Andy Robertson, who he played at Tannadice with, where he was in the first team at 16. United let them both go for a combined fee of less than £5 million, which was good money for us, but if a top six club has a spare £20 million then they won’t regret spending it on Stretch. Unless they’ve got 5 times that for Pogba ...”

46 min Peep peep! United begin the second half.

What’s (Not) Eating Anthony Martial?

“I think Fernandes is the key to Martial’s resurgence,” says Kevin Simons. “I vividly recall Fernandes chatting with Martial after they had both been subbed in a game which United won, and Martial was laughing his head off. Anthony Martial, happy? Laughing?? Scary prospect.”

“My theory (cough, cough),” says Francis Mead. “Martial is an extremely sensitive individual - has to believe he has total confidence of manager to play well. Also, seems to get on extremely well with Bruno - he’s a confidence player, arm-around-shoulder type.”

Half-time reading

45+2 min Ward-Prowse’s cross is headed away by Lindelof, only as far as Redmond on the edge of the area. He declines the shot and tries to play in Adams, who is tackled well by Lindelof. Southampton remain a threat.

45+1 min Three minutes of added time.

45 min “Hi Rob,” says Rajiv. “I think the bigger and more important question of where de Gea would finish on a podium is if it’s between himself, Romero and Henderson?

That’s so disrespectful to Lee Grant. Is he still at the club?

44 min That bit of ankle-biting aside, it’s been a quiet end to the first half. Ward-Prowse has just been booked for a wrestling manouevre on Bruno Fernandes.

43 min Team VAR are looking at a tackle by Romeu on Greenwood. “Do I not like that” says Gary Neville. It wasn’t great, studs into the ankle after the ball had gone, but Team VAR decides it’s not a clear and obvious error. I think he’s a wee bit lucky, though I can understand the argument that it looks worse in slow motion.

42 min “This Man Utd starting XI is exciting,” says Kritin Syal. “But what beyond that? Bailly doesn’t convince at CB, there’s nobody else who can spray passes like Pogba, Fernandes is the only attacking midfielder worth his salt. And is James good enough to stand in for any of the front three?”

I agree. It’s inevitable that people will get carried away, but United are nowhere near ready to challenge for the league just yet. Still, this beats watching them lose at home to relegated Cardiff.

41 min A nice move from United ends when Fernandes and Martial get in each other’s way in the area.

40 min “It’s annoying when reality gets in the way of a good joke,” says Matt Dony. “I checked the score as I walked out of the shop, and saw Southampton were ahead. Great. On the short drive gone, thought, ‘Ah, maybe the red shirts are hard to see against the stadium seating. Maybe change them at halftime?’ Classic Bantz! Then, pulled up outside the house, checked the score again, and it confirmed all of our fears. United are getting good again. And they’ve ruined my joke. Annoying.”

39 min Shaw’s cross skims off the head of a Southampton defender and reaches the unmarked Wan-Bissaka beyond the far post. His touch is a bit heavy, though, and that allows Bednarek to clear.

38 min A quiet spell in the game, the equivalent of two fighters taking a round off.

36 min “Rob, I have a theory,” says Mary Waltz. “Pre Bruno and Pogba redux Martial and Rashford felt forced to create their chances from midfield to the box. They get premium service today and this let’s their talents bloom.”

Yes, that’s definitely part of it. Fernandes has improved the entire team with his quality and standards. And morale – individual and collective – is as high as it has been in Martial’s time at the club, which has to be a big factor.

35 min Despite a bit of a battering in the last 15 minutes, Southampton still look dangerous when they attack. It’s been a very enjoyable game actually.

34 min “de Gea absolutely was the best for a good few years - worth at least 12 points a season,” says Stephen Carr. “But now - would he even get on the podium when we talk about top keepers?”

No, he’d be nowhere near, though surely that’s down to his mistakes/loss of confidence rather than his sweeper-keeping? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a desirable skill, I just don’t think it’s essential for 98 per cent of teams.

33 min Martial gets a bit carried away, walloping high and wide with his left foot after a lovely flick from Pogba.

30 min “Martial has always struck me as someone who deals with a great deal of anxiety on the pitch,” says Barry Bryan. “I’m speculating, of course, but I wonder if empty stadiums allow him to be more aggressive, expressive, etc.”

It’s possible, though he was playing pretty well before lockdown. The aggression is interesting – he is starting to look like a killer, which I never thought we’d see. Perhaps Solskjaer has unleashed the beast. We’ve all got one.

28 min United are flying now. Fernandes’s classy lay-off finds Pogba, whose fierce shot from 25 yards is palmed away by the sprawling McCarthy.

26 min “De Gea - like Lloris - is reluctant to move beyond the penalty spot,” says Stephen Carr. “I’m not sure you can be a top team without your keeper playing a more active role.”

I know what you mean, but he was still the best keeper in the world for three or four years, no?

24 min Time for the drinks break. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves a lot of credit for backing Martial ahead of Lukaku as his centre-forward, a move for which he was savaged during a difficult start to the season.

That was merciless stuff from Martial, as if he had a five-second limit to score from the moment he received the ball. Fernandes played a simple ball to find him on the left wing, and he only had one thing in mind. He charged straight at Walker-Peters, zipped infield and rammed a rising drive past McCarthy. When did Martial become such a ruthless assassin?

22 min That was a superb bit of play from Martial: the control, awareness and weight of touch to Rashford.

Pogba, on the right, curled in a flat cross that was brilliantly controlled with his back to goal by Martial. He fell over, possibly because of a foul by Stephens, but was alert enough to stretch and divert the ball further across the area to Rashford. He finished the job with a crisp left-footed shot into the far corner.

19 min Pogba is robbed again, this time near the halfway line by Adams. He moves into space but then overhits a through pass towards Ings.

16 min: Rashford has a goal disallowed for offside! It was the right decision. It was also lovely play from Shaw, who played a give-and-go with Martial, surged forward and curled a terrific pass around the defence. Rashford finished it first time but the flag went up and replays confirmed he was just offside.

14 min Redmond’s cutback is booted away by Lindelof, just in front of Adams in the six-yard box. It’s all Southampton.

13 min Southampton deserve their lead, and United look a bit rattled.

It stemmed from a mistake by Pogba, who was robbed by Ings 30 yards from goal. Redmond picked up the loose ball, ran into the area and lifted a superb ball to find Armstrong in space at the far post. He took it down calmly and slapped a half-volley past de Gea from close range.

11 min Armstrong deftly cushions a dropping ball on the edge of the area and hits a low shot that is comfortably saved by de Gea.

10 min: Superb save from McCarthy! Ward-Prowse allowed Bednarek’s pass to run under his foot, and Martial nicked the ball before running through on goal, Demba Ba-style. He reached the edge of the area and tried to place a shot past McCarthy, who spread himself as wide as possible and blocked the shot with his left hand.

10 min “Hi Rob,” says Kishalay Banerjee. “If Sancho does come in, does he replace Greenwood? I can’t see Solskjaer benching Rashford, but neither is it very fair on Greenwood. Or does he bench Martial, and move Rashford to the centre?”

He’d give them more options. As nice as this current run is, they can’t keep playing the same XI, and the back up isn’t great.

9 min It’s been a really confident start from Southampton, with and without the ball.

7 min Ings plays in the underlapping Bertrand, whose driven cross is held at the near post by de Gea.

6 min Nothing much to report. Southampton are working hard defensively and, as Gary Neville observes, are very good at squeezing the game in one area of the field when they don’t have the ball.

3 min “Three players,” says Digvijay Yadav, “that you think can propel United to the title.”

Mane, van Dijk and Alisson. But of the realistic targets, Sancho, Upamecano and Thomas Partey. You?

2 min Pogba curls a brilliant long pass down the line to Fernandes, who is well challenge by Bednarek.

1 min Peep peep! Southampton kick off from right to left.

The players emerge on an overcast evening in Manchester. It will be a largely dry and cloudy night with easing winds. The odd shower may develop overnight, especially towards dawn. Feeling mild where cloudy, however skies will be clearer across Cumbria and parts Lancashire, with rural spots turning chilly. Minimum temperature 6 °C.

Another memory from this fixture - an astonishing and cruelly futile save from Paul Jones.

“I think Ferguson would have loved to develop Giggs into a central forward around that time,” writes Womancraft Publishing. “But, although his pace was dangerous, he never became a particularly good finisher.”

I never really got the impression that Ferguson wanted him to be a regular centre-forward, though he liked him in that position for centre games, particularly away from home – Deportivo in 01-02, for example, when he terrorised the best team in the Europe at the time (and then missed some great chances, which was your point).

“Thanks for the 1993 clip,” says Nick Shaw. A few trite observations: 1) How knackered Pallister always looked any time the camera was on him. Is Maguire the new Pallister? 2) Cantona’s vision and flair looking like a taste of a different type of football. 3) The slowness of Le Tiss compared with Giggs in that early foul. But what a talent.”

That’s a good point about Cantona. The first foreign player in English football who had that impact on me was Anders Limpar, though he turned out to be a half-season wonder.

Southampton have quietly had a very good season. They lost eight of their first 12, including the 9-0 against Leicester, but turned it round admirably and are now comfortable in mid-table. The win at Leicester in the return game was, for mine, the performance of the season.

“Hi Rob,” says Parameswaran. “What happened in that match on 20th February 1993? Did United beat Saints?”

No, but Ryan Giggs did.

Pre-match listening