Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba have lit up Old Trafford to lead Manchester United to a strong 2-0 win against Southampton.
Ibrahimović opened the scoring with a well-taken header placing the ball back across goalkeeper Fraser Forster into the bottom corner.
The Swede then doubled his tally and the lead from the penalty spot early in the second half, sending Forster the wrong way.
Manchester United
David De Gea – 6: A relatively quiet night for the Spaniard, despite the Saints threatening they never really troubled the United shot stopper.
Antonio Valencia – 7: Yet another strong performance from the full-back, he got forward on every occasion making a nuisance of himself on and off the ball.
Eric Bailly – 7: Not the dominant performance seen last weekend but still equipped himself well with a great physical presence and used the ball well.
Daley Blind – 6.5: No fuss performance from the Dutch international, positioned himself well despite being troubled in the early stages by the pace of Nathan Redmond.
Luke Shaw – 6: Defended tightly and got forward on more occasions which earned his side a penalty.
Paul Pogba – 8: Made a strong start to his return to the club, showed superb dribbling feet and passing ability throughout the match. Worked back defensively constantly pressuring his opponent.
Read more: Paul Pogba match review – Manchester United 2 Southampton 0
Marouane Fellaini – 6.5- Did the dirty work in the middle of the park, anchoring the midfield as Pogba pushed forward.
Juan Mata – 6: Did some nice things, will need to perform at a high level every week to keep Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of the team.
Wayne Rooney – 7: An industrious performance from the skipper, worked hard throughout the match and grabbed an assist for the opener.
Anthony Martial – 5.5: Showed his ability to burst down the flank on a couple of occasions but lacked the final touch of class, squandered two big opportunities.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 9: Made his mark on the match scoring a double with two very well taken goals and his hold up play was superb.
Substitues
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6: Did some nice things with limited time to showcase his quality.
Ander Herrera – N/A: Limited impact in his time on the pitch.
Chris Smalling- N/A- Not enough time to make an impact.
Yes lads! #MUFC https://t.co/dpWD61F4ii
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 19, 2016
Southampton
Fraser Forster 5.5 – Nothing he could do about either goal but did make a couple of nice saves throughout.
Cedric – 6: Bombed forward all night, and limited the impact of Martial in doing so.
Jose Fonte – 6.5: Read the game well throughout, making some important interceptions to stop United attacks.
Vergil van Dijk – 7.5: The former Celtic man can hold his head up high after a superb defensive performance, was physical in the challenge, and denied Martial with a last-ditch tackle.
Matt Targett – 7: Looked most likely to create a chance for the Saints, making a number of dangerous runs forward and putting some good crosses into the box.
Oriel Romeu – N/A: Substituted off after only 11 minutes through injury.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6.5: Filled the void left by Romeu who left the pitch early in the first half, and used the ball well from the holding position.
Steven Davis – 5.5: A quiet night for the Northern Irishmen, despite finding time and space on the ball he failed to make the most of it.
Dusan Tadic – 6: Failed to replicate his performance of last weekend, had chances to put the United defence under more pressure but made some strange decisions. Goal disallowed for offside.
Nathan Redmond – 6.5: Was a focal point for the visitors early but faded. Dangerous when able to get in behind.
Shane Long – 6 – Worked hard but wasn’t afforded many chances before being replaced at 2-0 down.
Substitutes
Jordy Clasie – 5: Had the chance to make an impact coming on early in the first half, but gave away the penalty for United’s second goal.
Charlie Austin – 5: Couldn’t work his side back into the game after coming on in the 68th minute.
Jay Rodriguez – N/A: Not enough time to make an impact.
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