De Ligt bounces back from Netherlands nightmare in ‘really important’ Man Utd win

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·14 September 2024

De Ligt bounces back from Netherlands nightmare in ‘really important’ Man Utd win

Matthijs de Ligt opened his account for Manchester United to help his new club earn their second win of the season over Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts dominated the early exchanges, but failed to find the net, even when they were awarded a penalty. Cameron Archer stepped up to the spot for the first time in his career, but Andre Onana was equal to his effort.

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Shortly after it was the Red Devils who opened the scoring when De Ligt met Bruno Fernandes’ cross to head home his first goal since joining the club from Bayern Munich in the summer.

Marcus Rashford capped off a terrible eight-minute stretch for the Saints when his strike from just outside the box eked inside of Aaron Ramsdale’s left-hand post.

Read – Ten Hag backs ‘ketchup bottle’ Rashford to score more goals for Man Utd

Captain Jack Stephens received the third red card of his Premier League career as a Southampton player when he flew into substitute Alejandro Garnacho in the second half. The Argentine went on to score Man United‘s third of the day.

“The win was obviously really important,” De Ligt told TNT Sports. “I think if you get three points from three games it’s not enough so there was some pressure but I think today we played very well. A big credit to Andre Onana who saved a really important penalty, he changed the game for us.”

The Dutchman put in a torrid display during the international break when he made two critical errors leading to goals in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Germany, but he put in a solid showing on Saturday to help Man United keep a clean sheet.

“Not exactly a point to prove, sometimes it doesn’t go as well as you want but you have to look at the positive side. I was happy I played one and a half, it’s a long time since I played games,” he said.

“This is my third game in a week. For me it’s important to get rhythm and I can show a little more what I can do.”

This is De Ligt’s third new club in the past five years, but the 25-year-old already feels at home in Manchester.

“I am enjoying it a lot,” he said. “We have a great group, amazing guys. A lot of young guys who have to grow and want to grow. Hopefully we can get more results like this and grow as a team.”

Erik ten Hag replaced De Ligt with Casemiro a few minutes from the end, but the defender says he is not suffering with any fitness issues.

“I’m fine, I just had a little cramp in the last four minutes. It’s the first time in probably five months that I’ve played three in a row. I wanted to play until the end.”

Read – Six Premier League players who shone during the international break