Phil Jones produces powerful defensive display against Southampton

Phil Jones produced an indomitable display at the back as Manchester United held on for a 1-0 win against Southampton in the Premier League.

The Englishman was restored to the starting XI alongside Eric Bailly and ensured Shane Long received hardly any touches in the box during the first period.

And he was nothing short of heroic in the second period as Southampton threw everything at Man United, only to be rebuffed by a no-nonsense, comprehensive display by Jones.

His stats from the game shed light on just how imposing he was alongside the Ivorian, with the pair picking up their fifth clean sheet of the campaign.

                            Phil Jones' game by numbers vs. Southampton:

                                                        3 tackles

                                               5 aerial duels won

                                                   11 clearances

                                               90% pass accuracy

                                               100% tackles won

                            MOTM. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/lRFlTqQKu0

                     — Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) September 23, 2017

This was Jones at his blistering, overwhelming, effervescent best. Plenty of attention is rightly given to his susceptibility to making mistakes and injuring himself, but performances such as these serve to remind everyone of just how much raw talent the 25-year-old has.

He threw himself into everything, producing important headed clearances and pinching the ball off Southampton forwards at will. There wasn’t one piece of grass he didn’t cover in his crusade to stop the hosts from making David de Gea work.

Indeed, the fact that Southampton dominated the second half but failed to make De Gea work is a massive testament to the continued solidity offered by Jones all afternoon.