Amad Diallo scored three late goals to pull Man United from a disappointing performance and secure a surprising 3-1 comeback win against the bottom-placed Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday.
First Half: Southampton Takes the Lead
United likely believed they could return to winning form against the struggling Saints; however, the home team outperformed from the beginning, justly going behind due to Manuel Ugarte’s own goal right before the halftime break.
Second Half: Man United Resurgence
Facing the prospect of yet another loss at home, United intensified their efforts after halftime, equalizing with a goal from Diallo with just eight minutes remaining, and then the Ivorian secured the comeback victory in the final minute of the match.
A stoppage-time goal that completed his hat-trick exaggerated United’s performance, helping them rise to 12th place in the league with 26 points from 21 matches during another underwhelming season, while Southampton lingers at six points, remaining 10 points below the relegation safety zone.
Post-Match Reactions
“In football, it’s essential to have belief,” Diallo stated to TNT Sports. “I’m really pleased with this victory. We recognize that we have talented players, but we sometimes need to show more desire in the final third. Today, we demonstrated that we were the superior team on the field by the end.”
Despite noticeable progress under the leadership of new coach Ruben Amorim, United approached Thursday’s match aiming to prevent their fourth consecutive home league loss, a situation not seen since 1934.
Andre Onana made a remarkable double save to prevent Southampton’s energetic Tyler Dibling, followed by a stop against Mateus Fernandes from the rebound, showcasing the United goalkeeper’s active start to the match.
Turning Point: Ugarte Misfortune
The hosts appeared to be on track to reach halftime and reassess, but Ugarte’s bad luck, as the ball deflected off his back from a corner kick, handed the visitors a well-earned advantage at the interval.
Amad Diallo Decisive Contributions
A significantly better United began to generate more chances in the second half, with substitute Antony inexplicably managing to miss from short distance, but it seemed that they would once again be thwarted on their own ground.
Then Diallo made his intervention at the last moment.
Records and Achievements
The equalizer scored by the 22-year-old had a touch of luck, but the winning goal in the 90th minute was masterfully constructed by Christian Eriksen and perfectly finished, leading to Diallo’s first treble for United, made possible by the Saints’ careless play from the back.
Wayne Rooney is the only player to have scored a Premier League hat-trick for United at a younger age (21) than Diallo. Additionally, Diallo is the third player in Premier League history to net three goals in the last 10 minutes of a match.
Manchester United Struggles and Juric Response
A much-needed victory for United in normal time broke a seven-match winless streak across all competitions. Nevertheless, the display failed to satisfy the discontented supporters at Old Trafford.
“I’m from Italy, where we excel globally in our mindset and the players are the missing piece in this situation,” Saints manager Ivan Juric expressed.
“There comes a time when you must embrace your Italian side. We are naive, much like children, enjoying the game while they manage to score. We need to adopt a more cunning approach.”
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