Southampton of England’s Nigerian-born North Ireland international, Michael Obafemi got the better of Manchester United striker, Odion Jude Ighalo on all fronts, as he got a crucial equalizer that helped his side snatch a 2-2 draw against The Red Devils, who kept the former Super Eagles’ top scorer on their bench for all 90 minutes of Monday’s game, megasportsarena.com reports.
While Ighalo sat out an entire game for the first time since his arrival on loan from Shanghai Shenhua of China in January, Obafemi stole the show at Saint Mary’s, as The Saints’ youngster justified his inclusion in the hosts’ squad with a 96th-minute equalizer that saw United miss the chance of climbing into the EPL’s top-four bracket.
A report by allnigeriasoccer.com reports added: “Manchester United’s run of four consecutive victories in the Premier League ended against a fit Southampton side. Former Nigeria international Odion Ighalo’s run of fourteen consecutive matches for the Red Devils since he stepped foot in Manchester was halted as he was a non-playing substitute against the Saints.
“Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood were picked to start in attack ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer. Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s third segment of substitutions saw him introduce Scott McTominay and Daniel James in the 84th minute, which effectively stopped the Shanghai Shenhua loanee (Ighalo) from making his tenth Premier League appearance.
“It was a positive start for Southampton as Stuart Armstrong opened the scoring in the 12th minute but Manchester United hit back, scoring two goals in the space of three first-half minutes through Rashford and Martial.
“A sluggish and tired United side thought they had taken all three points and they were punished as Michael Obafemi, who entered the game as a substitute in the 87th minute, netted the equaliser in the dying moments of the game.”
