Manchester United went 1-0 up after 55 minutes at St Mary's StadiumManchester United arrived at Southampton under pressure to prove the thrilling win against Liverpool was not simply a one-off illusion produced out of desperation.
Erik ten Hag's side sent spirits soaring and lifted the mood of crisis around Old Trafford with victory over the old adversary at Old Trafford on Monday night for the new manager's first Premier League win.
Familiar questions would have been posed, however, had United turned out to be one-hit wonders and slipped back into the old ways that saw them beaten at home by Brighton and humiliated 4-0 at Brentford in their opening games.
In the sunshine at St Mary's, and on a surface that looked like a victim of the recent drought, United fashioned a win that was not spectacular, was in fact at times a bit of an eyesore, but which was absolutely essential.
Time will tell whether the 1-0 victory, secured by Bruno Fernandes' precise side-footed volley in the 55th minute, is another building block on the road out of adversity or a false dawn, but for now this is exactly what United and Ten Hag needed.
The manager, wisely, stuck with the side that beat Liverpool, which meant captain Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo were kept on the bench, where they were joined by Casemiro, United's new marquee signing from Real Madrid.
There were times when United had to dig deep to keep Saints out but at least they had the capacity to get the shovel out and start digging, unlike at Brentford, where they subsided completely and to call them flimsy qualified as a superlative.
The Brentford game was a collective trauma for Ten Hag and his team, but particularly for Lisandro Martinez as the diminutive £57m defensive signing from Ajax found himself removed after 45 minutes of relentless bullying by Ivan Toney.
Martinez demonstrated his character and resilience with a starring role against Liverpool and he was man of the match here, his efforts being rewarded with chants of "Argentina" throughout the game and at the final whistle.
How he fares against strikers of greater stature remains to be seen given Southampton, like Liverpool, did not possess someone in the mould of Toney who could exploit the Argentine's lack of height - but there is no question United have got a real competitor and fighter in Martinez.
Fernandes' goal, taken expertly from Diogo Dalot's cross, may also be seen as another good sign for Ten Hag. The Portuguese, so influential in the months after his arrival from Sporting Lisbon, became mired in the mediocrity that engulfed United and was spending more time bickering about decisions and attempting to win cheap fouls than influencing affairs during games.
Only Mohamed Salah (54), Harry Kane (49) and Son Heung-min (45) have more Premier League goals than Bruno Fernandes (37) since his debut in February 2020If Ten Hag can get Fernandes' mind and talents focused once more then United will have a renewed asset on their hands, especially alongside the composure of Christian Eriksen and the formidable shield that will be provided by Casemiro.
Ronaldo, whose days at United would surely come to an end of they could find any club attractive enough for him, was used as an impact substitute but the impact was minimal, while Maguire now appears to be very much on the outside looking in, a worry for the club captain and for England with the World Cup in November.
Ten Hag, understandably, declared himself satisfied with a win that will reduce the volume of noise surrounding United after those two opening defeats and the abysmal manner in which his new team performed.
United rode their luck at times, with keeper David de Gea saving well from Joe Aribo and Southampton furious they were not awarded a penalty when they appealed for handball against Scott McTominay.
Saints, for their part, deserve plenty of credit in defeat. There was talk of dressing room discontent with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl after an opening-day beating at Tottenham but this was a side full of commitment and desire, even if they were missing the final flourish.
United and Ten Hag will travel to Leicester on Thursday in good heart and perhaps with more of the reinforcements the manager wants added to his squad after two crucial victories.
The clouds over United have not rolled away completely but they are starting to lift after the darkness that threatened to envelop them a fortnight ago.
