The winger scored his first ever hat-trick to make amends for another terrible collective display from Ruben Amorim’s side
Where would Manchester United be without Amad Diallo? In the relegation zone, quite possibly.
The Red Devils were on their way to their most humiliating defeat yet as they trailed 1-0 at home to Premier League basement club Southampton after a Manuel Ugarte own goal in the first half. But Amad took matters into his own hands, equalising in the 82nd minute and completing a hat-trick within the final 10 minutes to give United a 3-1 win they barely deserved but which they badly needed, taking them 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Southampton turned up at Old Trafford bottom of the table with six points and having just taken two points from all their away games this season, the lowest amount of any team in the four top divisions in English football. The Saints also had the lowest points total after 20 games in Premier League history and in their last league outing they had been humiliated 5-0 by Brentford. But it did not take long for Ivan Juric’s side to start playing as if they were Real Madrid.
Kamaldeen Sulemana bullied Leny Yoro while Tyler Dibling was also too hot to handle for a United side which looked nothing like the team that had held Liverpool to draw at Anfield and knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup. The Saints scored from a corner, their first such goal all season but the latest demonstration that United cannot cope when defending from set pieces.
-Amorim took swift action from the bench, hooking Kobbie Mainoo at half-time and Rasmus Hojlund and Manuel Ugarte early in the second half. But Antony, who had replaced Mainoo, made things even more embarrassing for the hosts by missing an absolute sitter. United fans were tearing their hair out, as was Amorim, but Amad kept believing and equalised almost on his own, cutting through down the right wing and then lashing inside the near post.
He struck what looked to be the winner in the 90th minute before making sure with another goal in added time to complete his first ever hat-trick.
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