| Saints At Manchester United The Verdict | A real turn up for the books as a Saints side that was far from being described as first choice, put in a great … 31-12-2017 |
Maya Yoshida admits he was lucky not to concede a penalty against Manchester United
Manchester United and Southampton saw out a 0-0 stalemate at Old Trafford last night, but the hosts might have triumphed had they been awarded a penalty in the first half.
Referee Craig Pawson did not award a spot-kick when the ball appeared to hit Yoshida’s arm in the area - and the Japanese centre-half suggests he was lucky.
Yoshida said: “Sometimes we get decisions from the referee and sometimes we get bad luck from them. Today we got good luck.”
United boss Jose Mourinho felt his side deserved a penalty, just life they did against Leicester and Manchester City.
Lawrenson told the BBC: "When you sign a player like that you think ‘yeah I’ve signed a really good player here’. "You’re then looking for a reaction from whoever plays with him. Straight away they’re under pressure, as in ‘will it be me [who is ousted]?’ “It’s a good sale [by Southampton] but I do think he will turn out to be a good buy.”
Bayern Munich believe their chances of landing Jurgen Klopp in the near future are over. Liverpool’s £75m swoop for Van Dijk is proof the Anfield board are willing to back their manager in the transfer market. And that spells bad news for Bayern’s long-running pursuit of Klopp. A source told Starsport: “The Van Dijk transfer says Klopp is unlikely to be available – or looking to leave Liverpool – any time soon.”
Philippe Coutinho is looking for a house in Barcelona as he gets set to leave Liverpool, reports claim. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo say the Brazilian ace moving to Barca is closer than ever with the 26-year-old instructing those close to him to find him somewhere to live. It is said that the midfielder made a pact with the Reds in the summer regarding a January switch. Should Coutinho help Liverpool in the Champions League and Barca make the same offer they did in the last transfer window, then he would be allowed to move.
Saints are in action for the fourth time in 11 days when they host Crystal Palace in an evening kick-off under the lights in the club’s first fixture of 2018.
Wesley Hoedt picked up the man-of-the-match award for his part in shutting out Manchester United, and says it is crucial the team build on a hard-fought away point.
“It’s a nice recognition, but this was a team effort,” said the Dutchman.
“Sam (McQueen) and Jack (Stephens) did really well, and of course Alex (McCarthy) as well, but now this game is done and we need to be focused on Crystal Palace.
“That’s going to be a final. This is a good result, but we only have one point and we need a lot more points in the upcoming games.
“It’s going to be a really important one for us and we need to bring our A-game to the stadium.
“It’s vital for us to win. That’s the only thing that counts and that has to be our objective.”
| Celtic make offer for Southampton target | Celtic have reportedly made the first move in the race to sign Dundee defender Jack Hendry, who has been scouted by … 31-12-2017 |
Ashley Young has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association and he is set to serve a three-match ban.
The Manchester United defender appeared to elbow Dusan Tadic during the 0-0 draw with Southampton at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The incident was not included in referee Craig Pawson’s report and, after reviewing video evidence, the FA have decided to charge Young and he has until 5 p.m. on Sunday to respond.
Young is set to be suspended for the games against Everton in Monday, Derby County (in the FA Cup) and Stoke. It will be another blow to manager Jose Mourinho, who saw his injury list grow during the stalemate with Southampton.
Romelu Lukaku is set to miss the next two games after suffering a head injury, while Mourinho has also ruled out Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a month with a knee problem.
United are already without Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Michael Carrick.
They face Everton at Goodison Park on New Year’s Day, followed by an FA Cup tie with Derby County on Jan. 5 and a Premier League clash with Stoke City on Jan. 15.
Rob is ESPN FC’s Manchester United correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @RobDawsonESPN.
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