Fernandes sinks Saints as Man Utd maintain revival

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Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United have learned from their dismal start to the season as Bruno Fernandes cruised to a 1-0 win at Southampton on Saturday.

Ten Hag's side were bottom of the Premier League after losing their first two games against Brighton and Brentford.

But United have recovered from that awkward start to claim back-to-back league victories for the first time since February.

Fernandes scored with a composed strike early in the second half and the Portuguese midfielder's first goal of the season lifted United into sixth place ahead of the rest of the weekend's games.

"I think the players learned a few lessons from Brentford. We were more compact on the long balls. Of course we were really happy," said Ten Hag.

Ten Hag named the same starting line-up that beat Liverpool 2-1 on Monday, meaning unstable star Cristiano Ronaldo and club captain Harry Maguire were both on the bench.

Ronaldo, keen to leave Old Trafford before the transfer window closes on September 1, was largely anonymous when he came on for the final 20 minutes.

Casemiro helped United wrap up the win as the Brazilian midfielder made his debut in a 10-minute substitute appearance after leaving Real Madrid.

United were far from the intensity and quality that inspired their win over Liverpool.

But they showed a lack of courage in the first two games by keeping Southampton at bay after Fernandes' goal.

Ten Hag will be delighted that Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have remained firm at centre-back, rewarding his decision to keep Maguire on the sidelines.

"At the start of the game we could have created more, but I was satisfied. It's the start of the season, it's hard. You have to fight and we did that today, we so we were rewarded,” Ten Hag said.

"It was a fantastic finish. I'm really happy for Bruno. We can improve for sure. I always feel that there is still room for improvement, to control more, but we're not that far off."

Fernandes Clinic

It took an incredible combination of superb goalkeeping and ultimate defense to prevent United from taking the lead midway through the first half.

When Southampton failed to clear a cross, Gavin Bazunu struggled to block Anthony Elanga's shot at the far post.

In the ensuing scrum, Christian Eriksen looked certain to score, but Kyle Walker-Peters blocked his shot on the line before Fernandes saw his shot on goal denied by Armel Bella-Kotchap.

Bella-Kotchap should have made United pay for those misses when a corner fell on the Saints defender, but he managed to fire high into the stands from close range.

Che Adams couldn't generate enough power to beat David De Gea after making a perfectly timed run behind the flat-footed United defence.

Scott McTominay's drive tested Bazunu early in the second half, while Bella-Kotchap made a superb tackle to stop Elanga as he prepared to shoot after breaking through on goal.

Although United were never dominant, they created an impressive move to break the deadlock in the 55th minute.

A flurry of passes passed through Southampton's midfield and Diogo Dalot curled a cross towards Fernandes, who guided a fine volley past Bazunu just inside the area.

Southampton pushed to equalize but they were frustrated when a loud penalty appeal was dismissed by VAR after McTominay managed as he challenged Adams for a high ball.

De Gea preserved United's slim lead with a reflex point-blank header save from Joe Aribo, with Walker-Peters nodding for the rebound.

Bella-Kotchap blazed and Sekou Mara fired wide as Southampton squandered their chance to deny United victory.