Manchester United lost their second game running yesterday, which in any other circumstances would be a crisis but at present is not even a cause for concern.
With the title wrapped up weeks ago, Alex Ferguson has been sending out his reserves and, in the penultimate Premiership game at the Dell before Southampton move to a new ground, United conspired to hand their opponents a first victory in the eight games since Stuart Gray was given temporary charge after the sudden exit of Glenn Hoddle to Tottenham.
Only two names in the United starting line-up would be guaranteed a first-team place at any other time of the season: Ryan Giggs and the impressively fit-again Ronny Johnsen. With Gary Neville and Roy Keane suspended, squad players and youngsters filled the team sheet. But Ferguson revealed that he would be sending out a full-strength side tomorrow for Tommy Boyd's testimonial at Celtic.
With the identity of the next Southampton manager still a matter of speculation - Harry Redknapp is the latest favourite - the home team were playing for little more than pride and the not insubstantial matter of £336,422 sterling for each league place gained. Yesterday's win raised them by three places and £1,009,266.
It was that sort of game: no cups, titles or European places to be won, just end-of-season minutiae to go through. For instance, was this the last appearance in a United shirt of Dwight Yorke, or that admirable servant Denis Irwin, both linked with summer moves?
Andy Goram started in goal for United and on 57 minutes rolled a short ball out to Luke Chadwick, possibly the last touch in the goalkeeper's tiny United career. Raimond van der Gouw replaced him because the Dutchman still needed two appearances to qualify for a league winner's medal. These were the crumbs of the season.
Oh, and the game. Well, United's League Cup assortment failed miserably to conjure up any coherence as a team early on and went two goals down.
The first, a wonderful, diving header into his own net by Wes Brown on 11 minutes, may have slightly alarmed the watching England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. For the second, Marian Pahars beat the offside trap to Hassan Kachloul's ball over the top and shot past Goram.
Soon afterwards Southampton started playing as badly as United had, and eventually Giggs scored after a lovely one-two with Yorke.
Southampton: Jones, Monk (Benali 84), Lundekvam, Richards, Bridge, Davies, Oakley, Kachloul (Tessem 76), Marsden, Beattie, Pahars. Subs Not Used: Moss, Le Tissier, Rosler. Booked: Marsden. Goals: Brown 11 og, Pahars 15.
Man Utd: Goram (Van Der Gouw 58), Irwin, Phil Neville, Brown, Johnsen, Chadwick, Stewart, Wallwork (May 81), Fortune, Yorke, Giggs. Subs Not Used: Clegg, Wilson, Djordjc. Booked: Johnsen. Goals: Giggs 71.
Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
