Manchester United 0-0 Southampton: Jose Mourinho's men draw third straight Premier League game as Romelu Lukaku suffers nasty head injury

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The fact that Manchester United have made some improvements from recent seasons is no longer a balm with which to soothe their wounded pride. The chorus of boos which rung out at the final whistle at Old Trafford on Saturday night told you as much.

Every sparkling performance across town and every superlative showered upon Pep Guardiola's team must dig deep into Jose Mourinho's psyche and into Manchester United's soul. On Saturday they weren't terrible. They simply weren't good enough. Not by their own standards and certainly not by the new benchmark being established by Manchester City. And that is the story of their season.

Their role, for now, at least, in a city in which they once swaggered around with impunity, is that of support act to the main event. Maybe that is why some perspective is being lost, with Paul Scholes and Martin Keown especially scathing about Mourinho's team on TV. Every performance below par now feels worse than it is. 

Paul Pogba reacts after scoring a disallowed goal late as Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw with Southampton

Pogba thought he netted the winner for United in the 82st minute but the goal was disallowed for offside

Marcus Rashford dribbles with the ball in the Southampton area as United desperately searched for a winner 

Shane Long went ever so close to putting Southampton ahead on 50 minutes but David de Gea made yet another fine save

The Republic of Ireland striker reacts after Spanish goalkeeper De Gea produced the brilliant save in the second half

The 30-year-old striker's long and frustrating wait for a goal continues as he again failed to find the net at Old Trafford

PLAYER RATINGS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE 

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Young 9; Lindelof 6; Jones 6; Shaw 7; Pogba 6; Matic 5; Mata 7; Lingard 6; Mkhitaryan 4 (Martial 65, 7; Lukaku 5 (Rashford 14, 6)

Manager: Jose Mourinho 5 

Booked: Lingard, Matic

Southampton (4-2-3-1): McCarthy 7; Stephens 7; Yoshida 6; Hoedt 6; McQueen 7; Romeu 6; Hojbjerg 6; Ward-Prowse 9; Tadic 7 (Lemina 82, 6) Boufal 7 (Redmond 85, 6); Long 6 (Gabbiadini 80, 6)

Manager: Mauricio Pellegrino 8  

Booked: Hojbjerg, Hoedt, Boufal, Ward-Prowse

MoM: Ward-Prowse 

Referee: Craig Pawson 

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This graphic shows the ground covered by Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse at Old Trafford. CLICK HERE to find out more from our MATCH ZONE.

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That said, there is no avoiding that a Christmas period of three points in three games preceded by that League Cup exit at the hands of Bristol City has been meek and mild. Just as their noisy neighbours are turning up the volume, they have gone quiet.

At Old Trafford they came up against a Southampton side chastened by a Boxing Day defeat to Tottenham at Wembley and seemingly determined to ensure no repeat. James Ward-Prowse relishing a return to the team, was excellent. Alex McCarthy, replacing Fraser Forster, was impressively solid. And Southampton created chances to win the game, the best two saves coming from David De Gea.

United had some bad luck in losing Romelu Lukaku after eight minutes to a head injury from which he looks unlikely to return quickly. This was compounded by the news that Zlatan Ibrahimovic's seemingly miraculous recovery has stalled and he is now out for a month.

So United were a little unfortunate but, even before he departed, Lukaku had missed a crucial chance, heading wastefully over from an excellent Juan Mata cross, after he had been found by an equally exquisite Paul Pogba pass. That was the third minute and a goal then might have settled everyone. It is for such moments that you pay £75million. 

Jose Mourinho watches on during the second period of the tight encounter at Old Trafford on the weekend

Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy jumps for the ball as the hosts searched for the opening goal of the night on Saturday

McCarthy replaced Fraser Forster for the clash against the Red Devils, with the latter dropped to the substitutes bench

French midfielder Pogba stands over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after the Southampton man falls to the floor

There was the usual litany of complaints from Mourinho, some legitimate and others fanciful. Craig Pawson, he said, was a 'very good referee, one of the most promising young referees, not just in England but in Europe too'. Yet he still had 'a very bad decision that punished us'.

He meant the moment in the 32nd minute when Maya Yoshida raised an awkward arm to block a Jesse Lingard prod of the ball inside the penalty area. Yoshida looked mightily relieved it was deemed accidental. He could easily have been punished.

'I know my players so when I see people like Juan Mata almost hysterical I understood immediately there was no doubt and at half-time I watched it and it was a penalty, like Marcus Rashford against Leicester was a penalty, like Ander Herrera against City was a penalty,' said Mourinho.

But in reality United were neither fluent nor slick enough to win this game. Marcus Rashford, their principal centre forward now, was full of good intentions and hard running but lacking zest or precision.

Romelu Lukaku suffered a nasty head collision with Southampton defender Wesley Hoedt early on in the match

Lukaku was down on the floor for a while and required careful treatment from the United medical staff

United players desperately call on the club's medical staff as they try and help out their Belgian team-mate 

Lukaku was given an oxygen mask as he was taken off on a stretcher after just 14 minutes on Saturday evening

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was laboured throughout and replaced on 65 minutes, when Anthony Martial's introduction was cheered to the rafters. But in too many areas, United were lacking. Pogba did play a range of extraordinary passes but his zealousness may have cost United in the 82nd minute.

When Ashley Young, who was United's best player, swung in a free kick and Nemanja Matic turned and half hit a shot, it seemed to be trickling goalwards despite a hand of McCarthy. Pogba decided to make sure, but from an offside position, and so ensured it was ruled out. A scrappy goal at that stage would have made all the difference.

But Mauricio Pellegrino, who must have feared for his team given their capitulation at Tottenham, was right in his assessment that United were 'never comfortable'.

Twice De Gea saved his team, from a Ward-Prowse strike on eight minutes, which he stretched to tip wide, and from striker Shane Long on 51 minutes, set up by Ward-Prowse, which the goalkeeper did well to save with his feet. 

Spaniard De Gea produced a brilliant save to deny James Ward-Prowse from opening the scoring in the 7th minute

24-year-old striker Lukaku spurned a golden opportunity to put United 1-0 ahead with a header from a corner early on

Mourinho gives instructions to his players as United were frustrated once again in the English top flight

Spanish midfielder Juan Mata attempts a shot at goal as United built up the pressure during the opening period

Luke Shaw blocks off Dusan Tadic from getting the ball during the early stages of the Premier League encounter

'We are pleased, not just for the point but for the performance which was good from the beginning to end,' said Pellegrino. United had a Mkhitaryan shot from the edge of the box on 57 minutes and Young saw his strike deflected just wide by the defensive wall but the growing tension was indicated by Mourinho scrambling to act as ball boy to ensure a quick throw-in.

Southampton pressed on, sensing United's vulnerabilities, with Dusan Tadic heading just over from Sofiane Boufal's cross on 70 minutes and then Tadic again side-footing wide on 76 minutes while Rashford's chance from close range a minute later was blocked by a posse of Saints defenders.

Ultimately, this felt like a throwback performance, a reminder of darker days under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. United have made some small steps in the right direction this season. Trouble is, they're dwarfed by the giants strides being made elsewhere.

HOW OVERZEALOUS POGBA COST HIS SIDE A WINNER

Paul Pogba thought he had won the game for United after poking home on the line from Nemanja Matic's shot on the turn

Matic's effort appeared to be crawling into the net late on but Pogba decided to make sure and was moments later called offside

It was a head in hands moment for the former Juventus man after he saw his goal disallowed very late on at Old Trafford

This screenshot shows Pogba standing in an offside position as Serbian midfielder Matic struck the effort at goal on Saturday

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