De Ligt reserves special praise for Man Utd team-mate who ‘changed the game’ vs Southampton

Matthijs de Ligt has credited Andre Onana for turning the game around as Man Utd beat Southampton 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

De Ligt and Marcus Rashford scored shortly after Onana’s spot-kick save to put Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd on course for a much-needed victory at promoted Southampton.

Both sides returned from the international break in desperate need of a result as Saints sought a first point since their Premier League return against a team reeling from their humbling home loss to rivals Liverpool.

Southampton started brightly but collapsed after Onana saved Cameron Archer’s poor penalty, with De Ligt’s first Man Utd goal and Rashford’s first of the campaign knocking the stuffing out of Saints.

Alejandro Garnacho added late gloss to a win that alleviates some of the pressure on Ten Hag, who could ill afford to oversee the Red Devils’ first St Mary’s defeat since 2003 after back-to-back defeats.

But Netherlands international De Ligt – who had a nightmare time away with Holland over the break – has credited Onana with turning Man Utd fortunes around with the penalty save.

De Ligt told TNT Sports: “The win was obviously really important. I think if you get three points from three games it’s not enough so there was some pressure but I think today we played very well. A big credit to Andre Onana who saved a really important penalty, he changed the game for us.”

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On scoring from the set piece, De Ligt added: “We’ve been working on some set pieces, this one was not exactly out of the book but this was from a good spot. It’s my wife’s birthday so this one is for her!”

After making a number of mistakes on international duty, De Ligt was asked whether he had a point to prove, he replied: “Not exactly a point to prove, sometimes it doesn’t go as well as you want but you have to look at the positive side.

“I was happy I played one and a half, it’s a long time since I played games. This is my third game in a week. For me it’s important to get rhythm and I can show a little more what I can do.”

When asked how he’s found being a Man Utd player so far, De Ligt continued: “I am enjoying it a lot. We have a great group, amazing guys. A lot of young guys who have to grow and want to grow. Hopefully we can get more results like this and grow as a team.”

On his fitness after being substituted, De Ligt responded: “I’m fine, I just had a little cramp in the last four minutes. It’s the first time in probably five months that I’ve played three in a row. I wanted to play until the end.”