Saints might have been beaten bu they were not bowed and put in a fine second half performance that augurs well for the season.
A defeat is a defeat but sometimes it has to be put in context and this was a United side who cam into the game having scored 16 goals and conceded only 2, it could be said this was Saints first big test of the season.
So from this context yes it was a defeat but it was one that left those leaving the ground at the end knowing they had seen a decent performance from their side who not only matched United in all departments but dominated possession and pushed them back.
There are still things not quite right in the Saints team, but the manager is starting to impose his way of playing on the team and that should shine through in the coming weeks if this is anything to go by.
Saints dominated the stats in all departments, 69% possession, 14 shot against United's 9 even 8 corners against 4, but the one stat that mattered was the one goal scored and that sadly was United's
There was no Virgil Van Dijk in the starting line up althouh some fans still felt that a second striker is needed rather than considering that the issue is about firstly supply, Shane Long ran his legs off throughout the game and pushed United back Lemina and Romeu had to work hard in midfield and in the centre of defence Hoedt and Yoshida were only found wanting once and that sadly decided the game.
Mauricio Pellegrino showed that he was willing to change tactics to try and rescue the game, his first substitution saw Gabbiadini come on, but it was not to replace Long but Davis meaning that there were two strikers on the pitch for the final 17 minutes and that stayed the same when the shattered Long went off for Charlie Austin, but for all Saints domination it was the issue of creating truly decent chances.
But overall although it was a defeat there were plenty of plus points to be taken from this game, if a rampant United side struggle to beat us then there is nothing to fear from the rest of the league, Ok perhaps their near neighbours City who are looking good.
We have a good shape now and plenty of options and it is now just about getting the creative players creating again, in Tadic and Redmond we have two players who can change games, as of yet they are not in the best of form, but if they can find that form then we have nothing to worry about.
The key now is to be positive, we are a better squad than last year and a better manager we can beat last years performance.