Late Diallo hat-trick snatches win for United over Southampton
HAT-TRICK: Amad Diallo of Manchester United scores a hat-trick to secure three points for Manchester United. Picture: Carl Recine/Getty Images
NOT for the first time in recent weeks, Ruben Amorim saw Amad Diallo snatch vital goals, with a 12-minute hat-trick that averted disaster for his team but, as had been the case so often this season, Manchester United managed to follow a couple of shuffles forward with a step back.
Trailing to a deserved opener from the team rock bottom in the Premier League, Joshua Zirkzee capped an influential substitute outing by driving forward and finding Diallo on the wing ten minutes from time.
The 22-year-old, a scorer in the recent win at Manchester City and draw at Liverpool under Amorim, enjoyed a lucky bounce as he took on Kyle Walker-Peters but pounced on the ricochet and drove into the Saints goal.
Momentum had been steadily shifting and there was an air of inevitability about the winner, in the final minute of normal time, as Diallo again drove in from the left and, this time, played a one-two with substitute Christian Eriksen.
Diallo continued his run and did not hesitate as he volleyed the ball perfectly past Aaron Ramsdale in the Saints goal.
And in the fourth of five minutes of added time, Ramsdale’s pass to Taylor Harwood-Bellis was miscontrolled by the defender and Diallo pounced to tap into an open goal for his first United hat-trick.
It was an extraordinary finale, after an equally extraordinary first half, one that threatened to undo all the heroics and feel good factor of that battling draw at Liverpool and quite superb FA Cup win at Arsenal, since United were last beaten at home.
That loss against Newcastle at the end of December was a third straight home defeat for Amorim and now he was trying to stop yet another unwanted statistical mark, early in his reign.
For, when Manuel Ugarte headed into his net two minutes before the half-time interval, United were on course to lose four straight home games in the top flight for the first time in 95 years.
But the most alarming aspect of Southampton’s half-time lead was the fact that the team that is on course to be the worst in Premier League history, was full value for that advantage … and should have had more.
The goal when it came was slightly lucky; Mateus Fernandes’ corner flicked on by Tyler Dibling, and striking Ugarte on the back with such force that Andre Onana could not stop it from going into his goal.
But it was fully deserved and, as Southampton enjoyed a staggering 5-1 advantage in shots on target, Onana was particularly impressive with a breathtaking double save on 27 minutes, denying Dibling and Fernandes in quick succession.
Just after the half hour, the lively Kamaldeen Sulemana spun past Leny Yoro far too easily before advancing, skipping past Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez as he went, and firing disappointingly over. In one attack, he had thus beaten all three United defenders.
Yoro had already been left for dead by Sulemana, who forced Onana into the first of his eye-catching stops, after 12 minutes, while United’s response was a glaring miss by Alejandro Garnacho, set up by Rasmus Hojlund, who made no attempt to conceal his anger at his team-mate.
But not until the 36th minute, when Bruno Fernnades played a weak shot straight at Aaron Ramsdale, did United record a shot on target, although the half was so alarming that it forced Amorim into the unexpected response of bringing on Antony at the interval.
The Dutch winger started the half well enough, with a shot that was deflected over the Southampton bar by Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but when Antony was presented with his next chance, just before the hour, he was guilty of an astonishing miss.
Garnacho created it with a low drive to the far-post, a selfless decision when a shot was possible, but Antony slid in to convert into an open net and succeeded only in steering the ball straight at Ramsdale, rather than the goal.
By then, United had been given a warning that, with Yoro constantly tortured by Sulemana, Southampton were capable of adding to their opening goal, just their sixth in 11 away games this season.
On 51 minutes, Sulemana beat Yoro easily and appealed for a penalty as his cross struck de Ligt and, six minutes later, he completely sped past the French defender before rolling a shot just inches wide of the far post.
Amad Diallo saw a shot blocked and Fernandes played a one-two with Zirkzee before being denied by Ramsdale as United sought, with increasing desperation, for a face-saving equaliser against an increasingly-exhausted Southampton.
Onana 8; Yoro 4 (Maguire 83), de Ligt 5, Martinez 5; Diallo 9, Ugarte 5 (Collyer 53, 5), Mainoo 5 (Antony 46, 4), Mazrouai 6 (Eriksen 83); B Fernandes 7, Garnacho 6; Hojlund 5 (Zirkzee 53, 7). Substitutes (not used) Bayindir, Casemiro, Kukoni, Malacia.
: Ramsdale 7; Bree 6, Bednarek 6 (Wood-Gordon 83), Harwood-Bellis 6; Sugawara , Ugochukwu 7 (Onuachu 83), Aribo 7 (Downes 73, 6), Walker-Peters 7; Dibling 8 (Smallbone 63, 5), Sulemana 9; M Fernandes 8 (Armstrong 73, 6). Substitutes (not used) Archer, Lallana, Manning, McCarthy.
: J Brooks 7
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
