Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhuttl made a sly dig at Manchester United’s reaction to beating his side in the Premier League on Sunday, while praising his players for their efforts.
The Saints went 1-0 up on 23 minutes when Jan Bednarek headed home a James Ward-Prowse corner, and they doubled their lead 10 minutes later as Ward-Prowse again delivered from a set-piece, beating David de Gea with a free-kick.
United mounted a stunning second-half comeback, however, kickstarted when Bruno Fernandes tucked away a shot in the Southampton box on the hour mark after an assist from substitute Edinson Cavani. The Uruguay international then turned goalscorer in the 74th minute, heading a deflected Fernandes shot past Alex McCarthy, and the new signing netted again in added time to seal the victory for Ole Gunner Solskjaer’s team.
The manner of United’s celebrations stood out to Hasenhuttl, who said at full-time: “You can hear them celebrating in their dressing room. You know what you have done today and how tough an opponent you have been, because they were celebrating like they had won the Premier League.
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“That was the thing for me, because it is definitely a statement when they are celebrating like they were, because it was tough.
“They had to play the best they can to win against us and we can be proud of how we played.
“We had some fantastic moments – the best I think we can against such sides. I am very happy about what we can play today.
“For 2-2, that is okay for us, but then we conceded a third goal. We played as good as we can today.
“We put everything in that is possible against such teams, but we saw a fantastic side.”
Southampton remained fifth in the table – on 17 points – despite the loss, while United moved up to eighth, one point behind their beaten opponents.
Hasenhuttl’s players next travel to Brighton in the top flight, while United host Cavani’s former club Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday.
Cavani could face a three-game ban, however, after using a racial term on social media.
Cavani took to Instagram to celebrate his match-winning performance against Southampton, and with one post on his stories – replying to a message of congratulations – the 33-year-old used the Spanish term ‘negrito’, which translates as ‘black’.
United stressed that the word was clearly used in an affectionate manner and has different connotations in South America, where Cavani is from.
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