"A very good evening to you from a raucous St. Mary's Stadium!" Martin Tyler's iconic voice filled the broadcast.
"Welcome to our live coverage of the Premier League, sixth-round action for you today."
"And it's a real test for the visitors," chimed in Gary Neville, looking down from the gantry.
"Southampton versus Manchester United."
"Let's get you the team news," Martin continued. "The home side, Southampton, in their traditional red and white stripes, line up in a 4-2-3-1. In goal, Fraser Forster."
"The back four: Cédric, Yoshida, Van Dijk, and Bertrand. A very solid unit. The two sitting midfielders are Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina—plenty of legs in there. Ahead of them, a creative trio of Tadić, Davis, and Redmond, with Shane Long leading the line."
"And for the visitors, Manchester United," Gary picked up, "in that black away strip. It's largely the side we've come to expect from José Mourinho. The big news, though, is Marcus Rashford getting the nod on the left wing."
"Which means, for the traveling fans, that Jeremy Ling is on the bench," Martin noted.
"He's been in electric form as an impact substitute, but he hasn't been able to force his way into the starting XI just yet. We'll certainly hope to see him in the second half."
The broadcast cut to a shot of the team sheets, and across social media, the fan forums and live match threads lit up.
Red Devil's Advocate - Live Match Thread
» Sgt_Evra (Mod):Right lads, lineups are in. Rashford starts, Ling on the bench!
» Mou-Ball_In:Rashford to run them ragged for 60, then Ling comes on to finish them. Trust the process. Mou knows.
» Giggsy_11:Another match with Ling benched? What does the kid have to do? He's been our most creative player.
» WeWantAttack:Ugh. Fellaini and Matic. Prepare for 90 minutes of hoof-ball and sideways passing. This is going to be ugly.
» Fergie_Time:Southampton's midfield looks strong. Romeu and Lemina will eat us alive if we're too passive. And they've still got Van Dijk. Can't believe we didn't sign him.
» Scouse_Hater99:That Van Dijk is pure class, hate to admit it. Bet he'll ends up at Liverpool or City. We'll be stuck with Smalling forever.
» DaveSavez:This has 0-0 written all over it. Someone wake me up when Ling is on.
...
Back at St. Mary's, the stadium was vibrating.
The Southampton fans erupted in an intimidating roar as the referee's whistle signaled the start.
The atmosphere was thick, palpable, and from the first kick, it was clear this would be a battle.
"And we are underway!" Martin called. "Southampton straight onto the front foot, immediately engaging United in a fierce contest for possession."
Southampton's nickname, "The Saints," was a misnomer.
Their style of play was nothing short of demonic.
Every player pressed in unison, a red-and-white wave crashing against United's backline.
They executed a ferocious high press, swarming Mkhitaryan and cutting off the link to Lukaku.
They then overwhelmed Juan Mata with sheer physicality, effectively pinning Manchester United inside their own half.
Seeing the pressure closing in, Nemanja Matic, a picture of calm, didn't panic.
He quickly sprayed a long, diagonal pass to the left flank, trying to find the outlet.
Marcus Rashford received it.
He took one look, dropped his shoulder, and exploded.
"Here's Rashford, he's got space to run into!" Martin's voice rose.
Known for that blistering pace, Rashford's game plan was often to simply burst past defenders.
But today, it wasn't working.
Cédric, the Southampton right-back, was a rocket himself.
He turned and chased fiercely, matching Rashford stride for stride.
He didn't lunge in; he just stayed tight, expertly closing down the angle, forcing the winger wider and wider.
"That's excellent defending," Gary analyzed. "He's not letting Rashford cut inside, just showing him the line. Top-class full-back play."
With his primary weapon neutralized, Rashford had to slow down, checking back to avoid losing the ball.
United's left-side attack, their main release valve, was stifled. The game returned to a grinding stalemate.
A moment later, Rashford spotted a half-chance and whipped a cross toward the center.
But by then, Southampton's defensive wall was in place.
Oriol Romeu, a wall in midfield, shifted perfectly, got his body between the ball and Mkhitaryan, and came away with it.
He quickly laid it off to Lemina.
"What a brilliant interception by Romeu! And look at this, Southampton transition immediately," said Martin.
"Lemina is an all-around player, excellent on the ball, and he's driving forward with real purpose!"
The momentum on the pitch snapped from defense to attack.
The Saints fans in the stands found their voice, launching into their iconic anthem in perfect unison.
"Oh when the Saints... go marching in!""Oh when the Saints go marching in!"
The passionate, soulful melody filled the coastal air, amplifying the pressure.
"The atmosphere here is just electric," Martin noted.
Facing Southampton's rapid advance, Marouane Fellaini gestured frantically to his teammates before stepping up to attempt a tackle.
But Lemina's vision was a cut above.
He didn't even look; he just slid a perfectly weighted through-pass to Nathan Redmond on the left flank.
Redmond, a gifted dribbler, collected the ball and immediately went at Valencia.
He shimmied, feinted, and with a quick change of rhythm, shook off the right-back.
Thwack!
He dug out a high cross from near the byline.
Shane Long, all hustle, read the trajectory, muscled his way into position, and leaped high.
"It's a great cross for Long...!"
Fortunately, United's center-back pairing was in sync.
Phil Jones applied the physical pressure, just enough to disrupt Long's balance, while Eric Bailly attacked the ball from the side, heading it clear.
"Excellent defending, that," Gary breathed. "Jones does just enough to put him off. Vital."
"The danger's not over... here's the second ball!" Martin shouted. "It falls to Davis... he goes for the volley directly! But he couldn't keep it down. Over the crossbar."
The Southampton fans groaned, a collective sigh of disappointment.
In the away end, the Manchester United supporters broke out in a cold sweat.
The opponent's left flank was advancing with suffocating speed and ferocity.
On the sidelines, José Mourinho frowned, his arms crossed tightly.
The situation was, for now, within his expectations.
He knew Southampton's center-forward lacked that clinical finishing ability; it was difficult for them to pose a significant threat from crosses.
The key was to prevent them from creating chances outside the penalty area.
However, the dominance on the opponent's left flank was a problem.
It forced Valencia and Mata to focus entirely on defense, unable to establish any control over their own right flank.
This left Manchester United's attacking channels half-paralyzed, making it impossible to launch efficient counter-attacks.
On the other side, Mauricio Pellegrino, the Southampton boss, also wore a grim expression.
He was clearly dissatisfied with his team's poor chance conversion.
But he had no better solutions. With limited funds, after strengthening the midfield and re-signing Van Dijk, there was no money left for a top-tier striker.
He silently cursed. 'If Liverpool hadn't taken Mané...'
Back on the pitch, the pattern was set.
Facing Southampton's suffocating press, Manchester United had to compress their formation, bringing Rashford and Mkhitaryan back to help defend.
This numerical advantage covered up the poor defensive coverage but killed any attacking intent.
Southampton could only attempt to launch attacks from the wings.
But on the left, Ashley Young defended intelligently, while on the right, Mata's tracking back helped Valencia stabilize.
As for Shane Long, he was simply no match for the combined strength of Jones and Bailly.
The game became a war of attrition.
Southampton had all the possession but couldn't find the killer pass.
Manchester United, meanwhile, occasionally tried to launch quick counters, but Cédric's pace and Romeu's interceptions snuffed them out.
Possession shifted back and forth.
Time ticked by.
Phweep! Phweep!
The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half.
"And that's that for a breathless, if goalless, first half," Martin Tyler summarized.
"Well, Gary, it's not been a classic, has it?"
"No, Martin," Neville replied. "It's been a real midfield battle. Cagey. Southampton have been the better side, no doubt, but they lack that final-third quality. Manchester United look frustrated. José Mourinho will have a lot to say in that dressing room. He needs to find a way to get his team playing."