Amad Diallo's hat-trick heroics rescue Man Utd in thriller

Despite the win, United's manager Ruben Amorim didn't hold back his critique of his squad's performance.

The game began with Southampton taking the lead just before halftime. Kamaldeen Sulemana's skilful play was thwarted by Andre Onana, but Mateus Fernandes capitalized on a corner kick, with the ball inadvertently deflected by Manuel Ugarte into United's net.

Amorim, reflecting on the match, pointed out specific issues with his players' execution. "It's not just tiredness but playing in this stadium we lost the last three games here," Amorim stated post-match.

He criticized Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, and Leny Yoro for their roles in allowing Southampton to dominate parts of the game. "Ugarte is late, Kobbie Mainoo is late, Bruno going outside, the ball is inside... These small things push the team behind and then we get nervous without the ball," he elaborated.

The second half saw United's fortunes change with strategic substitutions. Antony came on for Mainoo at halftime, followed by Joshua Zirkzee and Toby Collyer replacing Rasmus Hojlund and Ugarte.

However, Southampton continued to threaten, with Sulemana nearly doubling their lead but missing narrowly.

United's equalizer came from Diallo in the 82nd minute, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce. The momentum shifted decisively in United's favour when Diallo scored again, this time after a deft exchange with Christian Eriksen, just before stoppage time.

His third goal came from exploiting a defensive error by Taylor Harwood-Bellis, sealing the match and sending the Stretford End into a frenzy.

The victory extended United's unbeaten head-to-head run against Southampton to 16 Premier League matches, pushing them to 12th in the league table.

Meanwhile, Southampton's struggle away from home continued, marking their 18th match without a win on the road.

Amorim's post-match analysis was clear in its intent to address the lack of speed and control, rather than enthusiasm, as he noted, "Today was not a lack of enthusiasm, it was a lack of speed and sometimes lack of control of the game."

His words underscore a team in transition, still finding its rhythm under his leadership.

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