Premier League – Amad Diallo plays the savior again and saves Manchester United from a defeat against Southampton (3-1)

Manchester United went from debacle to miracle. Very, very poorly off to a good start when hosting an attractive Southampton team, despite being bottom of the pack, the Red Devils were saved from the precipice by Amad Diallo (3-1). The 22-year-old Ivorian sounded the revolt in the final minutes, scoring a hat-trick to give his club a victory that was far from deserved. The scenario is cruel for the Saints, who really showed good things during a good part of the match. After three defeats in a row at Old Trafford, Manchester United are giving themselves a little breathing room. But there is nothing to brag about.

Manchester United can thank Amad Diallo. Authors of a poor performance, without rhythm, without real conviction, the Red Devils were heading straight towards a disappointment which would have been a serious task: a defeat against Southampton, last in the championship whose destiny was almost sealed. The worst? There would have been nothing to complain about, as the Saints put on a good show when the Mancunians were in despair. As proof, Andre Onana was the first goalkeeper to shine in this game, moreover on several occasions. He was solid against Kamaldeen Sulemana, who gave Leny Yoro (12th) a nightmare. Then was heroic with a double save against Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes (28th).

A form of logic was therefore respected when Southampton opened the scoring. From a well-taken corner, the ball rebounded to Manuel Ugarte after a slight deflection from Dibling (0-1, 43rd). Onana then avoided the worst, still facing Dibling (43rd). We then expected a real reaction from Manchester United upon returning from the locker room. There was a little improvement, intermittently. Above all, there was complacency, like this cross from Alejandro Garnacho which was very poorly taken by Antony, who entered at the break (59th). We really didn’t see how Ruben Amorim’s men could get out of it, as they showed themselves incapable of winning the match, against an opponent who wouldn’t give up. And then Diallo woke up.

The Manchester United nugget woke up Old Trafford by equalizing, successfully since it took advantage of a favorable counterattack (1-1, 82nd). This goal had the merit of galvanizing the Ivorian and giving a hint of momentum to the Red Devils. However, it was Diallo who took care of everything in the final moments. After an acceleration on the left, he requested a superb one-two with Christian Eriksen to score a double (2-1, 90th). He finally succeeded in pressing Taylor Harwood-Bellis, guilty of poor control, to seal the success with a hat-trick (3-1, 90th + 4). Manchester United are doing more than well, and there is still work to do to regain real confidence. But, at least, Diallo is a satisfaction.