Well that’s game over. United beat Southampton 5-0 and 6-1 in successive seasons at home at the start of the century and should be aiming to tally at least five goals tonight.
Maguire has been on Greenwood’s case to muck in inside his own half and challenge for the second balls. Michael Carrick has been much more present in the technical area than usual, as if trying to locate the chinks in Southampton’s armour.
United conceded a corner not long after scoring. That’s one thing they cannot do… allow James Ward-Prowse to get set peices into the box, or on goal directly.
That’s reliably excellent from Luke Shaw and United must aim to put Southampton to the sword now. Everything is weighted in their favour and this could be a procession, a chance to rest some regulars along the way, too, possibly.
Edinson Cavani gets between two defenders in a crowded penalty area to power home a header from seven yards out. The cross came from Luke Shaw on the left.
Marcus Bean, former professional footballer and a regular guest on the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, was sent off early on his debut for … I think … Queen’s Park Rangers as a youngster. At the time, he would later recall with the benefit of 20 odd years of hindsight and experience, he thought that was it … that his career was over before it had even started.