Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford. The Saints, winners here on two of their last three top-flight visits, are badly out of form and seeking just a second win in 12 this evening, while United have also stuttered in December to see the gap on pacesetters Manchester City grow to 15 points.

With this being a busy day in the Premier League, there has been some movement in the table as the 3pm kickoffs reach their conclusion. The big news is that Chelsea are well on course for all three points at home to strugglers Stoke City, so the Red Devils will begin this late fixture occupying third place in the Premier League table. Not where Jose Mourinho will want to be, making victory all the more important.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Lindelof, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Mkhitaryan, Mata, Lingard; Lukaku

SUBS: Romero, Blind, Rojo, Tuanzebe, Herrera, Martial, Rashford

Starting with a look at the home team, Mourinho has made three changes on the back of the 2-2 draw with Burnley here on Boxing Day. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, heavily linked with a move away from the club in January, is among those to profit from the quick turnaround in games as he is handed a starting spot; Jesse Lingard, the two-goal hero against the Clarets four days ago, and Victor Lindelof are the other two players to come in.

It is Mkhitaryan's first league start since United lost 1-0 to Chelsea in November, and it is fair to say that Mourinho did need to change things around slightly following back-to-back draws. As strange as it may sound, having found the net four times in those last two matches, putting away chances has been a real problem of late and creativity was also lacking. The onus is on Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Lingard to make something happen.

Romelu Lukaku is once again tasked with leading the line, as he has done in all 20 previous Premier League fixtures this term - no wonder Mourinho is so desperate to rest the Belgian, though the experiment with two strikers up top against Burnley only last 45 minutes. In fact, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not included in the squad at all today, so there is a good chance "tired" Lukaku will again be made to play a full part.

SOUTHAMPTON TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: McCarthy; Stephens, Yoshida, Hoedt, McQueen; Romeu, Hojbjerg; Tadic, Ward-Prowse, Boufal; Long

SUBS: Forster, Bednarek, Pied, Lemina, Davis, Redmond, Gabbiadini

Switching focus to the visiting side, the big news is that Fraser Forster has been left on the bench for this trip to Old Trafford, four days on from shipping five away to Tottenham Hotspur. The England international has struggled to reach peak form for a while now, perhaps even dating back well over a year when picking up a long-term injury, and he is replaced in the side this evening by Alex McCarthy.

That is one of four changes made by boss Mauricio Pellegrino from the 5-2 loss at Wembley Stadium, as Sam McQueen, James Ward-Prowse and Dusan Tadic are also brought back into the fold. Matt Targett, Mario Lemina and Nathan Redmond all drop out, with young full-back Targett the only one of the four players making way - including goalkeeper Forster - to miss out on selection entirely.

There is no Virgil van Dijk in the Southampton squad tonight, either, as he is just a couple of days away from completeing a £75m move to Liverpool. One man who is present and in desperate need of a boost is striker Shane Long, who is without a goal in 34 matches for club and country, yet in the absence of the injured and suspended Charlie Austin he quite simply needs to start finding the net.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho makes three changes from the 2-2 draw with Burnley here earlier this week, while Mauricio Pellegrino has brought in four new players following the 5-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on the same day. The Red Devils are also boosted by the return to fitness of Anthony Martial, who is back among the subs today.

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United started the day in second place, a whopping 15 points adrift of Manchester City - a record between the top-two sides in English top-flight history after 20 games - and one in front of Chelsea. The Citizens are not in action until tomorrow lunchtime, when taking on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, while the champions are just concluding their match against Stoke City, which they lead 5-0 in added time.

It is fair to say that Chelsea will take all three points from that straightforward home match, moving them in front of Man United. For a first time in a while, then, the Red Devils are down in third and now quite simply in need of victory against the Saints to avoid being dragged into a battle for the top four - that really would be a nightmare for Mourinho. Based on their form in recent weeks, victory this evening cannot be taken for granted.

United have drawn back-to-back matches 2-2 and also lost to Man City this month to end their title hopes. It has been a tale of late goals in their most recent matches, conceding deep into stoppage time against Leicester City prior to Christmas and fighting back to salvage a point against Burnley in midweek. Red Devils fans will argue that their side deserved to take a share of the spoils from the latter of those games, but it took until the 90th minute for them to do so.

Mourinho's men have looked very ordinary for a good few weeks now, it is fair to say, having also crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of lower-league opposition in Bristol City. Even in seeing off West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth - their only two wins in six matches overall - United did not hit the heights of August and September. That, combined with Chelsea showing some consistency of late, is surely enough to have Mourinho just a little worried.

Liverpool have also picked up victory this afternoon, recovering to beat Leicester City 2-1 at Anfield, so they are also within two points of Man United. Further back Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal still have points to make up, but the absolute bare minimum target for the season of finishing fourth is not quite set in stone as it appeared to be a fortnight ago. Three points here, though, and the mood will be a lot more positive.

This is certainly a match that many will be backing United to win, as was the case against Leicester and Burnley, though next up is a trip to a revived Everton - a match that will be dominated in the days leading up to it by talk of Wayne Rooney. Then comes the visit of Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup third round, which has taken on added significance all of a sudden after exiting the EFL Cup and losing further ground in the Premier League.

All the talk in the lead up to this match, meanwhile, has centered around money - or the lack of it, according to Mourinho when asked why United are lagging so far behind Man City. The Portuguese made clear that the £300m outlay he has so far been afforded is not enough to achieve what he wants to at Old Trafford, having seen the Citizens also spend big to completely overhaul their full-back department and strengthen elsewhere.

An additional midfielder appears to be on Mourinho's radar, having been without Michael Carrick pretty much all season, while a new striker would also be nice due to the weight on Lukaku's shoulders. Still, one defeat in nine has left United 10 points better off than at this stage last season although, much like then, they are still well off the title pace and may now be relying on other competitions.

The 2-2 draw with Burnley this week was just the second time United have dropped points on home turf this campaign; the other being that 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City. Having kept seven clean sheets in their first eight matches, the Red Devils now have just three in the subsequent 12 and have shipped four in two. Still, much of the focus has been at the other end of the field, where Lukaku has netted just four in his most recent 19 outings.

The experiment with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku did not work against Burnley, it is fair to say, with Jose Mourinho taking off the former at half time after going into the break two goals down. Ibrahimovic is not involved at all today, though, despite boasting a decent record against Southampton that has seen him score four goals in two outings.

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Following a winless run of seven matches, the pressure has well and truly built on Saints boss Pellegrino in recent weeks. The 5-2 thrashing away to Tottenham Hotspur last time out may well prove to be the nadir, though going further back it is one win in 11 since October 21 and they have offered little to suggest that a run of victories may be forthcoming. Seven points from a possible 33 points towards a potential relegation battle being on the cards.

In fact, following the conclusion of the 3pm fixtures, Southampton are now just one point above the relegation zone. Bournemouth have picked up victory and Newcastle United also earned a point, so the Saints quite simply need to get their act together before they enter the bottom three. Defender Maya Yoshida certainly did not mix his words earlier this week, admitting that the situation as St Mary's is now worse than it was under axed boss Claude Puel.

Scoring goals, much like under Puel is still proving to be a bit of an issue, though worryingly the Saints are now shipping goals for fun - perhaps explaining the absence of goalkeeper Fraser Forster this evening. Eleven goals have been conceded in their last four, including five at the hands of Tottenham and four against Puel's Leicester City, but they did restrict Chelsea to just the one goal during that run.

Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United away in quick succession was always likely to spell trouble, which has very much proved to be the case. That has put added pressure on Pellegrino to collect points against Crystal Palace and Watford in his side's first two league outings of 2017. Clean sheets will help the Saints achieve that target - they have none in their last seven away matches, having kept two in their first two outings of the season.

DID YOU KNOW? An eighth-consecutive game without a win would be Southampton's worst top-flight run since a 10-match sequence between November 2004 and January 2005. The Saints also have just one away win in nine attempts this term, coming at Crystal Palace in mid-September - drawing three and losing five of those other games; only Swansea City had managed fewer prior to today.

Southampton have at least managed to score a few more goals of late, even if the two they bagged at Wembley Stadium proved to be mere consolations, with those strikes taking their tally for the Premier League season to 20. Crocked striker Charlie Austin, who would have been suspended today anyway, is responsible for six of those; attacking teammate Shane Long has none. Now would be the perfect time to end that truly abysmal run in front of goal.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Southampton have won two of their last three meetings with Manchester United at Old Trafford, having previously failed to win in 19 visits. The Red Devils have kept a clean sheet in three Premier League encounters in a row overall, however, following a nine-game streak without one.

With kickoff at the Theatre of Dreams now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Jose Mourinho: "I can't rest Lukaku. I see 20 matches in the Premier League, 90 minutes, I think for a striker, any player, it's absolutely incredible. Is it a consequence of a player that really needs a little rest? Or is this a consequence of just the occasion? The guy is fantastic for me and for the team and gives absolutely everything and I've no criticism."

Mauricio Pellegrino: "Man United are a powerful team, but we are in the moment that we have to think more about us and what we have to do on the pitch. This is our reality and can't talk about the other teams. Even for Man United it is difficult to win many games in a row because the Premier League is really competitive. Everybody is suffering this."

While plenty of the pre-match talk from Mourinho's perspective was dominated by Lukaku and money, Pellegrino discussed his side's recent struggles. No win in seven and just one victory in 11 since the middle of September is very close to relegation form and, if Southampton do go on to lose another match this evening, the gap on the bottom three will remain at just the one point - far too close for comfort.

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KICKOFF! Southampton get us under way at Old Trafford, aiming to improve on their disappointing recent run of form. Victory imperative for Manchester United, too, having slipped down to third place in the table a little earlier.

The visitors have seen more of the ball in the early stages here, with Long looking to make a nuisance of himself inside the opposition box. The Saints may well adopt a more defensive approach when the contest settles down.

CHANCE! An early chance for Romelu Lukaku to lift some weight off his shoulders by ending his latest scoring drought, but he could only divert Juan Mata's right-sided cross over the bar with his header from 10 yards out.

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That will go down as a good chance for Lukaku, coming after Pogba picked out Mata out wide with a superb pass. The Red Devils were already one down at this point against Burnley on Boxing Day, and they would go on to concede a second.

Southampton's attacking players are finding themselves in some promising positions in these opening nine minutes. Boufal held his run well and got in behind, but he cutback was pretty poor considering the time and space he had.

SAVE! There is going to be an early change here as Lukaku, who has played every minute of every league game for United since joining in the summer, has remained down after a clash of heads. Before that, De Gea was needed to keep out Ward-Prowse.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Play was halted for a good five minutes or so for Lukaku to receive the necessary treatment, with the stretcher quickly being brought on. Wesley Hoedt devoid of any blame - just an unfortunate clash of heads. Rashford has now been summoned.

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I was a little off with my timekeeping - six-and-a-half minutes it took for Lukaku to be seen to and carried off the pitch. The two sides need to find their rhythm again, with both fashioning a decent opening prior to Lukaku's head injury.

Shaw, against his former club, sends in a delightful cross from the left that is turned behind before substitute forward Rashford could get on the end of it. United slowly starting to rebuild some momentum as they seek an opening goal.

SAVE! A weak penalty appeal from United is turned down and the visitors get bodies forward. Long, on that barren goalless run, does well to hold the ball up and win a free kick from Lindelof, which Ward-Prowse sends on target for De Gea to palm away.

Southampton over-commit after winning a corner and, once the ball was cleared away, Rashford sparked a swift counter. The ball was played into the path of Mkhitaryan down the left, but his return pass was a shocker and went straight through the box.

CHANCE! The visiting side giving as good as they get in the opening quarter of the match. Another chance comes and goes, as Hoedt gets on the end of a corner but makes terrible contact with his head, glancing it wide instead of powering it home from close range.

Just the one major chance for United so far, which Lukaku could not make the most of, while the Saints have managed to get a couple of shots away on target through Ward-Prowse. An entertaining enough contest so far, with 25 minutes now played.

SAVE! The ball falls kindly to Rashford inside the opposition box but he can only lay it off to Mata, who puts his fit through it and tests McCarthy down low. A good save with his feet in the end - the back-up stopper's first of the match.

A better delivery from Mkhitaryan on this occasion, which McCarthy deals with. United seeing more of the ball but it has been a pretty evenly-matched contest overall in terms of chances, as we approach the half an hour mark at Old Trafford.

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PENALTY APPEAL! Rashford is so incredibly swift on the counter, racing almost clean through but loosing possession on the edge of the box. Moments beforehand, a United pen appeal was rejected after the ball quite clearly hit Yoshida's arm.

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United can consider themselves unlucky. Yoshida was running towards the ball when it popped up and hit him - intentional or not, it prevented Lingard from bringing it under control and the referee should have pointed to the spot then.

Still goalless at Old Trafford after 35 minutes, then, despite both teams creating some decent openings. Half time still around 15 minutes away, however, as a huge chunk of the first half was eaten up by Lukaku receiving treatment to a head injury.

The Red Devils really starting to push their opponents back now. Southampton have done well on the whole, but Rashford is stretching play more and more, while Mkhitaryan has just got in behind for the second or third time today.

Word from the Man United dressing room is that Lukaku will not be taken to hospital for further treatment, but you have to wonder if he will now be ruled out of the trip to former club Everton on New Year's Day. Zlatan is also nursing an injury, too.

The Saints have been unable to get out of their own half for a good 10 minutes or so now, with United dominating more and more. Following a bright start by the visitors, it is now a case of perhaps holding on until the interval.

CHANCE! Lingard, much like Lukaku earlier in the half, really should have been burying this headed chance. Mkhitaryan with a great cross, which his teammate met 10 yards out but could only glance wide of the far post.

YELLOW CARD! Wesley Hoedt is the second Southampton player to be cautioned for what appeared to be dissent. The midfielder kicked the ball away before being talked to by the referee, who has added on an extra six minutes.

SHOT! Matic with a shot from the edge of the box, which is blasted down the middle for McCarthy to easily keep out. Not the toughest of saves the Englishman will ever have to make, but something for him to do nonetheless.

We are now into the fourth of six added-on minutes at the end of the first half. United continue to ask more of the questions, though it is looking as though the scores will remain level at 0-0 at the midway point in proceedings.

The extended first half comes to a close, with the two teams level halfway through. No goals but a lively enough first half; both teams coming close to making a breakthrough but failing to do so. Southampton will be happier as things stand, though there is plenty of time left for Manchester United to get off the mark.

Prior to being taken off with a facial injury, Romelu Lukaku squandered a glorious chance by heading clean over the crossbar when picked out 10 yards from goal. David de Gea was then required at the other end to thwart James Ward-Prowse, who also found the target later in the half with a curled free kick from a tight angle.

In-between those two shots, United were dealt the blow of losing Lukaku following a clash of heads with Wesley Hoedt, likely ruling him out of the New Year's Day return to former club Everton. Marcus Rashford was summoned from the bench and made a good impact, sparking a quick counter-attack that disappointingly ended with Henrikh Mkhitaryan - handed a first league start in close to two months - skewing the subsequent cross.

Southampton, winners here on two of their last three visits prior to today, failed to take their big chance of the first half as Hoedt failed to find the target with his close-range header. Juan Mata tested Alex McCarthy down low on a rare start for the Saints stopper, while Nemanja Matic also had a tamely hit shot kept out. United should have taken a lead into the break, though, as soon after having a penalty shout rejected through a clear Maya Yoshida handball, a cross came into the box for Jesse Lingard to glance wide unmarked.

United the better side in the opening 45 minutes, then, and Southampton did have to hold on a tad as the first half progressed, but it must be said that the visitors did have a big chance of their own. David de Gea was also tested twice, as was Alex McCarthy.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Blind, Rojo, Tuanzebe, Herrera, Martial

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Forster, Bednarek, Pied, Lemina, Davis, Redmond, Gabbiadini

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RESTART! We are back up and running at Old Trafford, where no further changes have been made at the break. United already forced into one alteration, of course, having brought on Rashford for the injured Lukaku early on.

A good cross from Ward-Prowse needed dealing with before Long could get on the end of it. The Saints certainly not sitting back in the manner of some teams to visit here, though they do have to make the most of their forays forward.

Man United have been second best since the start of the second half, failing to really get going. Southampton yet to make the most of their prolonged spell of possession, however, with their latest corner kick being headed well clear.

SAVE! Yet another huge save from De Gea! Long got ahead of Matic and his shot was heading for the back of the net, only for De Gea to flick out a leg and somehow help the ball fly over the crossbar. Saints should be ahead here.

Mourinho watching on from the sidelines, perhaps thinking about a second change early in the second half. No doubt that the hosts have been second best in the nine minutes since play resumed, relying on a stunning De Gea save to keep them level.

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Mkhitaryan gets the ball into a dangerous area, with a Southampton player there first to head behind. Alex McCarthy provided a commanding presence to collect when it next arrived in the 18-yard box. Fast approaching the hour mark here.

SHOT! Been a far more balanced match than many had perhaps expected so far. A third draw in succession on the cards as things stand for United, as Mkhitaryan's weak shot is collected down the middle by Saints stopper McCarthy.

YELLOW CARD! A third caution of the evening, each now shown to a Southampton player as Sofiane Boufal enters the referee's book. An incident a little earlier went under the radar, incidentally - Young appeared to elbow Tadic in the stomach.

YELLOW CARD! A frustrated Lingard is cautioned and told to calm down by the referee. Mourinho may be tempted to turn to his bench now, with French forward Anthony Martial back among the back-up options this evening.

Mkhitaryan with yet another shocker of a cross when under so little pressure. The Armenian, starting his first game since November 5, is the likely candidate to make way when Mourinho makes his second change of the contest.

MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Here is that expected change, as Martial comes on for Mkhitaryan. Twenty-five minutes or so for the Red Devils to find a breakthrough goal, or else they will enter the New Year occupying third place.

Martial making an instant impact by getting at the Saints' backline and earning a free kick. Minimal contact from Romeu, it must be said, but there was enough for the Frenchman to go down and win his side a set piece 27 yards from goal.

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The free kick is left for Young to take, sending the ball against the wall and out for a corner. Craig Pawson initially awarded a goal kick but was soon notified about his error, though the subsequent set piece came to very little.

Lingard plays the ball into the path of Rashford, whose first touch took him a little away from goal. Momentum completely with the home side now, however, with Martial and Rashford both on the pitch as we enter the final quarter of the game.

This has not been a bad performance from Southampton at all. It could even be argued that they have done enough to warrant a lead, as Long was only denied an opener by a superb stop via the legs of De Gea early in the second period.

Possession over the 76 minutes so far has been split almost 50-50. Southampton could do with a fresh forward coming on around about now to get in around the back, perhaps explaining links to Walcott and Sturridge in recent days.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB! Pellegrino makes his first alteration of the evening by bringing on Gabbiadini for Long. Shortly before that, Tadic guided a shot wide and Rashford had a shot blocked in front of goal. All very open now.

YELLOW CARD! The Southampton sub, coupled with bookings shown to Matic and Ward-Prowse has helped to break up play. United do not look as though they have a goal in them at the moment - worrying, with just 10 minutes to go.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Now then! Paul Pogba helps the ball over the line and is rightly flagged for offside but, having seen a replay, the shot from Anthony Martial may well have been creeping past Alex McCarthy even without the touch.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB! Lemina is on for Tadic as Pellegrino attempts to fight fire with fire Pellegrino's men, as bad as they have looked at times in recent weeks, are worthy of a point on the basis of their display this evening.

It was actually Matic who got the shot away from which Pogba helped it over the line, and it looks as though it was going in off the post. Pogba has essentially cost his side two points if it remains this way. Redmond now on for Boufal.

All of a sudden there are just two minutes to go at Old Trafford - this second half really has flown by. A third draw in succession the most likely outcome for Man United at this stage, but they have been knocking on the door.

BLOCK! Referee Craig Pawson, with a couple of big calls to make this evening, adds on three minutes at the end of a gripping but so far goalless game. The ball falls to Lingard but his shot is blocked before it can reach the target.

Referee Craig Pawson blows for full time, meaning that Manchester United are made to settle for a point for the third match running. Not only are they now 14 points adrift of Manchester City, who have a game in hand to play, they are also behind Chelsea who will see out the year in second place.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Old Trafford. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from this and all the day's other Premier League matches will be available elsewhere on the site shortly. Thanks for joining!