What Makes Edinson Cavani To Impressed Against Southampton

The Uruguayan front-man came off the bench to assist United's first goal before scoring two incredible headers, the last one in injury time, as the Reds came back from two goals down to beat the Saints 3-2 on the south coast.

United could probably have done better when defending the one that led to Jan Bednarek’s goal, though it would be hard to fault David de Gea or Harry Maguire when a flat cross unerringly picked out the centre-back’s head at the near post.

It was Djenepo’s jinking run that led directly to the second goal, and although Fred should have known better than to trip him on the edge of the box in an area that practically had Ward-Prowse territory stencilled on the grass, it was not clear by what other means United were going to stop him. Once Ward-Prowse had done what he does best, finding the inside of De Gea’s right post and bringing the goalkeeper’s afternoon to an early conclusion in the process, Djenepo had a chance to make it three. In what might have been the game’s pivotal moment, De Gea was equal to the shot even though evidently in pain.

Considering what he accomplished in 45 minutes it would seem the argument about the 33-year-old’s usefulness to United is now over. As Solskjær will appreciate more than most, the Uruguayan can still finish. In a game that saw Rashford, Greenwood and Fernandes all miss presentable opportunities to wrap up the points, Cavani’s instant efficiency was what permitted United’s record-breaking sequence of away wins. The veteran striker might just have done enough to get a start next time out, even if it means benching one of the young guns in the United frontline.

That is a pleasant problem for Solskjær to have to sort out, and probably easier than attaining the consistency he so desires. It turns out United are still a little all over the place, but with Cavani at least you know what you are going to get.

But as Sir Alex Ferguson often used to say, United never make life easy. Incredibly this version of United found themselves chasing the game well before the interval after conceding two quick goals in a 10-minute period that saw Southampton switch unexpectedly from negative to glowing positive.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was obviously impressed with our no. 7's contribution at St. Mary's.

“Edinson made a great impact,” Ole told reporters in the post-match press conference.

“He’s one of the best and cleverest movers in the box. He can peel off you, he can get in front of you. Sometimes it works for you and he certainly had an impact today.”

The Reds manager, whose team set a club-record with eight straight away wins in the Premier League, was asked if he saw a lot of himself in Cavani, with our former striker being a renowned impact player for United, scoring more than anyone in hour history when coming off the bench.

“We’re not the same types of players,” Ole explained, before having a cheeky little dig at Edinson for tying his boots in start of the second half. 

“I’ve not made him, he’s made himself. He reminds me of Andy Cole by the way, with his movement inside the box; he’s so sharp, clever, great timing. He’s not learned off me because he wasn’t ready when the second half started. I was always ready and had studs on, so he made us wait a little bit too much for my liking!”

Particularly, the manner in which Cavani scored his match-winning goals, pleased the boss. It reminded him of something Sir Alex Ferguson used to tell the Norwegian during his playing days at United between 1996 and 2007.

“Sometimes, when we’ve scored goals, it had to be the 'perfect' goal, walking it in, with an extra pass and great skill,” our manager said.

“Edinson has been around the block and scored so many goals and played football for so long. He’s been between those posts so many times, he’s seen this game before, he’s scored that goal before. He knows exactly where to move and his best friend in the box is what Sir Alex always used to tell me: 'Your best friend in the box is space', and he gets into that space with perfect timing.”

Ole is glad Edinson provides competition, experience and a different alternative to our other forwards. So far, the Uruguayan has scored three times for the Reds. 

“He’s got all the attributes for a top-class footballer,” explained the manager. “And human being.

”He’s had a great career and scored goals wherever he’s been. He’s so professional, so meticulous in his preparation, in his recovery, what he does at meal-times, before the game, during the game. So I was surprised when he didn’t have his boots on when the second half started. Also, to have a focal point in the box is important for us, we’ve not really had that since Romelu [Lukaku] left. Anthony [Martial], Marcus [Rashford], Mason [Greenwood], they’re different types of forwards. He gives us a great balance and a mix, so we wanted to mix it up and had an impact.“