Van Persie brace lifts United to third as Louis van Gaal's side beats Southampton 2-1 in EPL

Robin van Persie scored twice as Manchester United continued their recent resurgence to climb to third in the Premier League after a 2-1 victory against Southampton on Monday.

The Dutchman scored in each half as United, who were distinctly second best for much of the game, secured their fifth successive Premier League victory.

Graziano Pelle ended a personal goal drought dating back to October by equalising but Southampton have now lost three successive Premier League games and are without a league victory since a 1-0 victory against struggling Leicester City on Nov. 8.

Manchester United have 28 points, five behind rivals Man City in second and eight less than leaders Chelsea while Southampton have dropped to fifth on 26 points, one point behind fourth-placed West Ham United.