As with every fixture, Kevin Pilkington joins 7Cantonas.com to offer his post-match analysis with regards to Saturday’s win at Southampton.
Manchester United got off to a slow start against Southampton and found themselves down 1-0 at half time. That is not solely down to United playing poorly, but rather the resilience of Southampton: “I agree that United were poor in the first half, but you have got to give Southampton credit for stopping United from playing their usual game. They played really well in the first half and kept the ball really well. Don’t forget this is the FA Cup and it is totally different from the Premiership. It is a cliché, but there is the magic of the FA Cup that comes into it.”
Poor performances from some players was one of the major talking points after the match. Darron Gibson has come under criticism following his performance yesterday, but Pilkington believes there is still a future for the Irish midfielder at Old Trafford: “I think it is very unfair on Darren Gibson. I couldn’t hear the supporters complaining when he was scoring goals from all sorts of distances last season. He is still a young lad and is still learning the game. I’m sure Sir Alex wouldn’t pick him if he didn’t think he was good enough.”
Continuing his analysis of Darron Gibson, Pilkington said, “All players have difficult periods from time to time and Darren Gibson is no different and he will come through it a better player.”
Another player to field some criticism was Michael Owen, who played as a deep striker behind Javier Hernandez: “It’s not his best position, but he is intelligent enough to play in this role. He has lost a little bit of pace, but he still is a very good player. I was very impressed with the impact he made when he came on as sub against Liverpool.”
Not all talking points were negative though. United’s newest signing, Anders Lindegaard, made his debut at St. Mary’s and impressed one of United’s former keepers: “Lindergaard did okay for his first game. It will take him time to settle into the United way, but I am sure he will do a very good job. As a goalkeeper you need that run of games to get your confidence up.”
Of course, the highlight of the match will be Javier Hernandez’s winner. The young forward can’t seem to stop scoring at the moment, and his continued threat in front of goal has warranted some lofty compliments: “I said as soon as I saw him that he reminded me of Ole. His movement and finishing ability is fantastic, and I think already he is a firm fans favourite. I think he will be a major player for the rest of the season and I am sure he will score many more important goals, not just this season but for years to come. He seems to have settled straight away, which is unusual for North American players.”
Written by Kyle Diller.
