THE OBSERVER
It maybe true that on any given day any team in the Premiership can beat another, but results like this are more often the norm, especially at this time of the year when the bigger clubs show their ruthless streaks as the silverware heaves into view.
Southampton went into the game in seventh place but the gulf between the two sides was enormous yesterday. Manchester United scored twice, through Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs, in the game's first quarter and the rest was routine. Had they needed more, United would undoubtedly have scored more against a Saints side whose slip might be about to show.
Memory always recalls some humiliating visits to the old Dell for United, including a 6-3 drubbing and going 3-0 down in those grey shirts. In fact they have won three of their last four games at Southampton and came into this match on one of those familiar rolls at this time of the year, having won 15 of their last 18 games.
Southampton, though, have progressed cannily under Gordon Strachan and two more astute purchases on Friday - David Prutton from Nottingham Forest and Danny Higginbotham from Derby County - tell of their prosperity this season in a new stadium.
Indeed theirs was the brighter start. Sir Alex Ferguson sent out an attacking side, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ryan Giggs playing just behind Van Nistelrooy, which left space on Saints' right for Fabrice Fernandes. Before the United manager came to the touchline to instruct his team to solve the problem, the skilful young Frenchman had already stung Fabien Barthez's fingertips with a fierce left-foot drive.
THE TIMES
A thoroughly professional performance by United, but if you want entertainment, try the circus. Two goals inside the first quarter of the game, both against the run of play, effectively settled the result and, from there, United’s lack of interest and Southampton’s inadequacy combined to produce a strange air of lethargy over this part of the south coast. This was not the thrilling United their manager might have wished to celebrate his 900th game in charge at Old Trafford.
Goals by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs exposed Southampton’s pretensions to a place in the top six and, in a city that has never been their happiest hunting ground, Sir Alex Ferguson will be happy to keep up the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.
But there was none of the fluency or energy you might expect from a United side who have the game won. Collectors of quirky statistics would be the only neutrals who might recall United’s fifth successive league victory and their first without conceding a goal away from home this season.
THE INDEPENDENT
Before kick-off the crowd was treated to a dragon dance to celebrate the Chinese year of the sheep. Afterwards there could be no bleating from Southampton as they were comprehensively beaten by one of the big boys for the second successive Premiership home match.
This was a must-win match for Manchester United – and it showed. Make no mistake, the Saints did well, at least for the first hour. It is just that United were irrepressible. Fresh from not having played in midweek they were driven by the fire of Roy Keane and the firepower of Ruud van Nistelrooy and gave an almost faultless performance. The chase is truly on.
This display was only ruined by Arsenal's last-minute winning goal at Highbury and an injury to Fabien Barthez after an aerial collision with Michael Svensson in the first half. "It can't be that bad," said Southampton manager Gordon Strachan. "He was sitting in my office for the second half smoking fags. Someone should have told him it is a no smoking area." Not a question of him running out of puff then. Still, Barthez left the ground on crutches with a badly bruised thigh.
Bizarrely, Southampton also lost a goalkeeper with Antti Niemi going off minutes before the end after he bravely smothered another burst by the impressive Van Nistelrooy only to be caught by the player's boot. Again, it did not look serious – but when was the last time both goalkeepers were substituted in a Premiership game?
When also did Manchester United have to wait until February to record their first clean sheet away from home? Sir Alex Ferguson pointed out that statistic and added that yesterday's display was "a barometer of our general form".
THE TELEGRAPH
United left their line-up well alone after thrashing West Ham 6-0 a week earlier. The only change concerned Paul Scholes, who left that FA Cup win at half-time feeling the effects of influenza. He was confined to the substitutes' bench, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer again replaced him in attack. Solskjaer joined Van Nistelrooy and Giggs in a three-pronged strike force.
However, it was Southampton who threatened first. Only five minutes had elapsed when the tricky Fabrice Fernandes skipped past Juan Sebastian Veron on the right and forced Barthez to tip his rasping 25-yarder over the bar. Michael Svensson, the home side's other central defender, might have scored from Chris Marsden's headed pass, but dived to head a good chance wide.
As ever, though, United were extremely dangerous on the break. Only a desperate joint block by Lundekvam and Svensson had stopped Veron hammering home the pass Van Nistelrooy conjured out of nothing before the Dutch international scored himself in the 14th minute. He stabbed the ball into the roof of the net on the volley after Gary Neville picked him out perfectly with a cross.
Southampton gave United another moment of anxiety when Jo Tessem lobbed James Beattie's flick-on on to the roof of Barthez's net with the goalkeeper out of position. But the visitors simply replied with another goal after 22 minutes. This time it was Solskjaer, out on the right, who delivered the centre. Veron stepped over it and Giggs, having had one shot with his weaker right foot blocked, buried the rebound with his left.
The home side responded spiritedly and were perhaps unfortunate not to win a penalty when Roy Keane looked to impede Tessem as they went for the centre that Marsden rolled across the face of goal. The linesman had already flagged for offside.
The referee, Phil Dowd, not only waved Southampton's claims away but booked Anders Svensson for dissent. So frustration could have been responsible for the heavy aerial challenge on Barthez by Michael Svensson that resulted in the French international being carried off after 38 minutes.