Man United's lean spell continues with stalemate against Southampton

Old Trafford - Denmark international Christian Eriksen got the biggest cheer when he was introduced to the team’s supporters on the field ahead of kick-off for the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace

Manchester United’s lean spell continued with a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday as Cristiano Ronaldo’s run without a goal extended to six games.

Che Adams grabbed Southampton’s equaliser in the 48th minute to cancel out the opener in the 21st by Jadon Sancho, who scored at Old Trafford for the first time since joining United in the off-season.

The latest setback for United came four days after a 1-1 draw at last-place Burnley and a week after getting eliminated from the FA Cup at the hands of second-tier Middlesbrough at home, following a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. On all three occasions, United has led 1-0 at halftime.

“We had an excellent half hour, but in the end it’s about playing in that way for more than just one half,” United manager Ralf Rangnick said.

“We told them exactly that (at halftime), that we have to be aggressive, we have to stay compact, we shouldn’t give them any space,” he said. “This is what we told them, obviously. But in the end it’s a different thing to perform like that on the pitch.”

United moved onto the same number of points as fourth-place West Ham but remained outside the Champions League positions.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, hasn’t scored in 2022 — his last goal was against Burnley on December 30.

Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen got the biggest cheer of the day at Brentford. The Denmark international was introduced to the team’s supporters on the field ahead of kick-off for the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, eight months to the day since his cardiac arrest at the European Championship.

Eriksen, who has signed a six-month deal with Brentford, is expected to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Monday before a potential debut at Arsenal next Saturday.

On the evidence of Brentford’s display against Palace, that first appearance cannot come too soon with the match crying out for a player of Eriksen’s creativity and craft.

Brentford did at least end a run of five straight losses with a point that lifted the team seven points clear of the relegation zone. It has, though, played more games than all of the teams below. — AP