Manchester United beat Southampton thanks to Bruno Fernandes volley

It is one thing beating Liverpool with a performance fuelled by the desperation that comes with wanting to atone for a 4-0 drubbing at Brentford and the adrenaline of playing their fiercest rivals but it is quite another trying to build on that foundation on a balmy summer afternoon on the south coast at St Mary's. Faced with Southampton, many thought Manchester United might revert to type.

They did not. They did not win any prizes for beautiful football, either, but they dug in and they fought and they scrapped and they defended for their lives and they weathered storms and they harried and chased and when the final whistle blew on a sketchy 1-0 win, their defenders raised their arms aloft as if they believed this was a result carrying more significance than it seemed.

Time will tell but the win lifted United to the heady heights of sixth place in the Premier League and this match brought more tentative signs of recovery from the early season trauma of that humiliation in west London and their home defeat to Brighton. One of those signs was that Erik ten Hag, who can take a breath at last in his new job at Old Trafford, named the same starting eleven that beat Liverpool.

Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring Manchester United's winner with a well-taken volley against Southampton

Fernandes took his volley well following a slick United move down the right, ensuring they backed up their Liverpool win

Fernandes struck his shot crisply and into the ground to settle a tight contest on the south coast in United's favour

That meant Cristiano Ronaldo remained on the bench, which, frankly, is the best place for him. Ronaldo, at this stage of his fabled career, is made to be an impact substitute and that was how Ten Hag used him here. It will do the manager's authority no harm at all to have had the courage to keep his biggest name on the sidelines and gain another victory in the process.

Everything worked for Ten Hag this afternoon. The club skipper Harry Maguire remained on the bench, too, and his replacement as captain, Bruno Fernandes, scored the winner with a fine volley that rounded off a sharp move early in the second half. There was a debut for new £70m signing Casemiro, too, and even in the short time he was on the pitch, he impressed with his energy and desire.

Prompted with elegant economy by Christian Eriksen, who is more of a delight to watch than ever, United moved the ball around well in the early stages but even though they threatened several times to unlock the home defence, their only attempt on goal was an over-ambitious 50 yard chip from Bruno Fernandes that bounced tamely into the hands of Gavin Buzunu.

United's £70million man Casemiro, signed from Real Madrid last week, came on to make his debut during the second-half 

Erik ten Hag once again started Cristiano Ronaldo among his substitutes but he was brought on during the second-half

Casemiro acknowledges the travelling Manchester United support after making his debut as a substitute at St Mary's

Then, midway through the half, United could have scored four times in ten seconds. Fernandes miscued a header at the back post when he ought to have scored but the ball fell to Anthony Elanga and his snap shot brought a fine save out of Buzunu.

The danger had not been cleared, though, and when the rebound bounced in front of Fernandes, it seemed he must score. But just as Fernandes tried to prod the ball into the net, Kyle Walker-Peters flung himself at it and blocked it. Now the ball fell to Eriksen, who adjusted his body and volleyed the ball goalwards but it was the turn of Armel Bella-Kotchap to save his team with a point-blank block. Southampton had staged a great escape.

Reprieved, Southampton grew into the game and after half an hour, they should have taken the lead. A corner was flicked on at the near post and Bella-Kotchap was allowed to take a touch in the box before stretching for a shot a few yards out. Bella-Kotchap only needed to keep the ball down to score but he lifted it over the bar.

Anthony Elanga was one of three United players denied in quick succession by blocks during a first-half scramble 

Ronaldo takes a tumble under challenge from Moussa Djenepo after he was brought on during the second half

David de Gea, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane mark United's second league win of the season

There was some extra significance in that miss. It helped United reach the 38th minute of a match without conceding a goal for the first time since February. Their forebears may have set them a low bar but it was another tentative sign of a promising central defensive partnership forming between the impressive Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

Southampton's defenders were playing well, too, and five minutes after half time, following a good save from Bazunu to deny Scott McTominay, it took a brilliantly timed intervention from Bella-Kotchap to dispossess Elanga as he burst through on goal.

But that was the end of Southampton's resistance. A couple of minutes later, United carved their defence apart down the right until it reached Diogo Dalot overlapping on the right as forwards streamed down the centre. Dalot looked up and picked out Fernandes with a driven pinpoint cross and Fernandes, United's skipper in the absence of Harry Maguire, drilled it low past Bazunu on the volley.

United had an escape of their own when McTominay appeared to handle the ball twice as he tried to clear a Southampton attack in the United box but VAR studied the incident and found nothing awry. A couple of minutes later, David de Gea made a fine reaction save, pushing out a header from Joe Aribo and then watching gratefully as Walker-Peters nodded the rebound over the bar.

It was certainly an expensive Manchester United bench with Cristiano Ronaldo alongside Casemiro, Donny van de Beek, Harry Maguire and Fred

Ronaldo came on for Jadon Sancho midway through the half but seven minutes later, he needed prolonged treatment for a muscular injury and Casemiro came to the touchline, ready to replace him. Ronaldo, though, was not ready to give way quite yet and decided he could continue. Casemiro's chance came a minute later when Elanga was withdrawn instead.

United dug in to protect their lead as best they could. Bella-Kotchap blazed over from 15 yards out five minutes from the end and then Sekou Mara clipped a precise volley agonisingly wide in added time.

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