Manchester United came from behind to secure a dramatic comeback victory over Southampton as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side stunned the Saints at St Mary's.

Ralph Hassenhuttl's men went ahead with a bullet header from Jan Bendarek before James Ward-Prowse scored a stunning free kick to extend the lead.

But United bounced back after the break as Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani combined to halve the deficit. The Uruguayan striker was a constant thorn in Hasenhuttl's side, teeing up Fernandes for the first goal and he followed this up with a well-timed header to tie the game.

The 33-year-old then scored in stoppage time to secure what could prove to be a vital three points as the Red Devils moved into the top half of the table, five points behind Premier League leaders Tottenham with a game in hand.

Cavani may have turned the tide and Fernandes certainly pulled the strings, but Nemanja Matic was the surprise standout as Solskjaer's side staged a remarkable comeback to break the Saints' hearts.

Solskjaer has often been criticised for playing two holding midfielders so far this season but Matic played a pivotal role in rescuing what looked like an unlikely three points for United.

Speaking after the game, Fernandes praised the performance of his teammate, as he said: "Donny played a really good game but Fred and Nema were really important to us. They worked and they worked and they were two players who calmed down the game and moved the ball. In the second half, that was crucial, they recovered a lot of balls and they ran a lot.”

Per SofaScore, Matic received a high rating of 7.3 out of ten for his efforts - the highest out of any United player in the starting line-up - as he made three tackles, five interceptions and won seven out of his nine duels overall (77%), whilst he completed two out of three successful dribble attempts, produced 61 out of 72 passes (85%), took 87 touches of the ball and was fouled once, which suggests that he was a useful attacking asset too.

Likewise, The Daily Express gave the colossus a similar score, claiming he 'played an increasing role in giving United platform to attack without so much fear of a counter.'

Whilst Cavani is the centre of attention, the 32-year-old's contributions cannot go unnoticed. He acted as an anchor to the defence and formed a part of the supply chain for the front three, and didn't stray too far from his position either.

Paul Pogba was once again conspicuous by his absence from the squad which has cast fresh doubts over his future at Old Trafford but when Matic puts in a defensive shift like this, you do have to ask the question, is it any wonder?

AND in other news, Manchester United must cash in on Timothy Fosu-Mensah in January...