UNDER-21S: UNITED 4 SOUTHAMPTON 0
Barclays Under-21 Premier League | 18 January 2016 | Scorers: Januzaj 45,79 Keane 53,69 pen
Manchester United Under-21s made it eight home wins on the trot by sinking Southampton 4-0 thanks to doubles from Adnan Januzaj, in his first outing since returning from a loan at Borussia Dortmund, and Will Keane, who made it five goals in his last two games.
The Reds peppered the Saints goal by registering 12 shots in the opening half an hour with Keane heading over Januzaj's inviting cross and then showing great skill to tee up Andreas Pereira's lobbed pass for a left-footed volley that was dragged off target.
Ryan Seager turned Ro-Shaun Williams to screw well wide but Keane and Paddy McNair blasted at Paulo Gazzaniga before the keeper made a much better stop to repel Januzaj's close-range effort following a nice move involving James Weir and Pereira on the left.
Pereira flashed a dipping effort just off the mark but required treatment for a head injury and Southampton started to create chances of their own. Jake Hesketh skimmed the netting with a low drive from the edge of the box and Bevis Mugabe rose to head a Joshua Debayo corner goalwards, only for it to clip the bar and go over the top.
It served as a warning to Warren Joyce's in-form side, who responded with the opening strike in the dying seconds of the half. Keane fed Januzaj and he worked the ball onto his left foot to drill a 20-yard deflected drive wide of Gazzaniga's despairing dive and into the corner of the net.
United aimed to build on the lead by flying out of the blocks for the second half, pressing the Saints back with spellbinding football. Pereira was dictating matters and tested Gazzaniga with a fierce shot before poking wide following a pass by Matty Willock.
A second goal duly arrived when Januzaj fed Guillermo Varela and his brilliant centre allowed Keane to nod a textbook header past Gazzaniga to double the lead on 53 minutes. An amazing sequence saw Gazzaniga make three saves in quick succession to deny Willock, Keane and Pereira with the Brazil Under-20 international's effort a jaw-dropping one that would have produced a contender for Goal of the Season.
Pereira danced through to lash wide and Tim Fosu-Mensah fizzed a long-ranger into the stands before more audacious skill by Pereira unhinged the visiting defence again. His backheel played in Januzaj, who was tugged back by Jack Stephens, and Keane confidently tucked away the penalty to Gazzaniga's right.
Seager had a goal disallowed, although he was offside in any case, even if the referee did not play an advantage, but there were no free-kicks for offside awarded in the entire game. Keane did superbly to tee up Januzaj for his second of the night, smacking in a left-foot finish with the minimum of fuss but the Belgian was withdrawn soon afterwards before he could chase a hat-trick.
Mugabe logged the Saints' first attempt on target towards the end, which was comfortably dealt with by Sergio Romero, as United inch ever closer to leaders Sunderland ahead of the visit of the Black Cats next Monday for a key showdown. There are now seven points in it but United have three games in hand.
United: Romero; Varela, Williams, McNair, Love; Fosu-Mensah (Riley 72), Willock; Januzaj (El Fitouri 81), A.Pereira, Weir; Keane. Subs not used: J.Pereira, Redmond, Rashford.
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