Sports Mole takes a closer look at how Manchester United and Southampton ended contrasting Premier League seasons with a 1-1 draw at St Mary's Stadium.

Manchester United ended their worst-ever Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at Southampton today.

Juan Mata's precise free kick nine minutes into the second half cancelled out Rickie Lambert's opener, but it was not enough for United to qualify for Europe.

Southampton matched their highest Premier League finish of eighth, while United ended a disastrous campaign eight points and one place above them in the table.

Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the action at St Mary's Stadium.

Match statistics

Southampton
Shots: 15
On target: 6
Possession: 58%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 16

United
Shots: 8
On target: 2
Possession: 42%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 5

Was the result fair?

United were barely at the races in a first half in which Southampton were much the better side and took a thoroughly deserved lead, but they improved after Mata's stunning equaliser and probably warranted a point, particularly considering that there was some controversy surrounding Lambert's opening goal.

Southampton's performance

Mauricio Pochettino packed the centre of the park today, and that allowed his side to keep the ball very well in midfield during the opening 45 minutes as they enjoyed prolonged periods of time inside the United half.

They pinged the ball around nicely before Adam Lallana or Luke Shaw injected some pace into their attacks. It was all very tidy without being consistently threatening to David de Gea, who was rarely stretched. There was not much in the way of variety to their play, with the danger coming from Shaw and Lallana or not coming at all.

Saints fans will be desperate for the club to keep hold of those two in the summer. Lambert took his goal well, although his elbow clearly caught Nemanja Vidic in the buildup to his 28th-minute strike.

United's performance

They were so flat for much of the first half, and it took the frustration caused by referee Mike Dean's failure to spot the elbow on Vidic to get them going. The Serbian defended well in his final game for the club and will be sorely missed after eight years of excellent service.

Patrice Evra also had a good game, particularly in the second period, as he and Rio Ferdinand perhaps waved goodbye to the Red Devils. They dipped again after the interval, but Mata's moment of magic reinvigorated them for a second time. Robin van Persie had a quiet game and was clearly not 100% fit.

Michael Carrick's half-time introduction for the completely ineffective Shinji Kagawa made a real difference, while Danny Welbeck's pace was a threat as the game went on and became more open. Adnan Januzaj was largely in the pocket of Shaw, but will have better days next season, when he is likely to be a regular in a new-look United side.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Luke Shaw: In front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson, Shaw put in a complete performance at left-back. So often lauded for his attacking play, which was on display today, the 18-year-old showed how solid he can be defensively.

He is so physically mature for his age and that was evident in the fact that he was simply too quick and strong for another wonder kid, Januzaj. Will he get the nod for the World Cup, though?

Biggest gaffe

Victor Wanyama's daft foul on Welbeck gifted United the free kick from which Mata equalised. It was all about the Spaniard from there, but Wanyama got himself into a right mess with his body position, and then unnecessarily lunged in on the England international when there were bodies on the cover.

Referee performance

Not a good way for Mike Dean to finish the campaign. He missed Vidic's early handball, and Lambert's inadvertent elbow on the centre-back in the build-up to the Southampton striker's goal.

What next?

Southampton: A summer of angst probably awaits as they try to hold onto their best players, as well as manager Pochettino, who is favourite to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.

United: A second chance at a fresh start post Sir Alex Ferguson, with Louis van Gaal poised to be named their new boss imminently and be provided with a £200m transfer kitty.