Diallo’s quickfire Hat-Trick powers Man United past Saints
Amad Diallo scored a hat-trick in 12 minutes as Manchester United came from behind to beat Southampton 3-1 in the English Premier League on Thursday night at Old Trafford.
Struggling to hit the ground running after last Sunday’s gruelling 120-minute match against Arsenal, the hosts found themselves trailing before the break when Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper.
At the risk of losing three consecutive league games at home for the first time in nearly a century, United’s desperation for an equaliser was fulfilled in the 82nd minute with a composed right-footed finish by Diallo.
A clever one-two with Christian Eriksen saw the Ivorian double his account of the night eight minutes later, before the 22-year-old completed his first career hat-trick deep into stoppage time after capitalising on a mistake by Saints defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
The thrilling win propelled Ruben Amorim’s men to 12th on the table, ending their four-game winless Premier League run.
Recommended!
The Better Bettors!
Australian-owned and operated bookmaker!
18+ Gamble Responsibly. THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?
Fast Payouts
50% matched deposit up to USD $5,000
Speaking after the win, the Man United head coach insisted his side still has a long way to go.
“The feeling is we have so much to do,” said Amorim.
“We need training, I don’t know how long it will take. The profiles sometimes you can understand it’s not the right ones.
“We didn’t do a very good game but in this moment winning is the most important thing.
“I want to be fair with my players. Today was not a lack of enthusiasm, it was a lack of speed and sometimes lack of control of the game.”
Meanwhile, a fourth consecutive defeat leaves Southampton at the foot of the table with six points, 11 points from safety.
Southampton boss Ivan Juric was disappointed after his side imploded in the closing stages.
“I think we did really well for 75 to 77 minutes and then did really bad managing the game,” he said.
“I have to be honest I expected a bit more of the players who came on, they have to give us more energy and more intensity.
“Everything we did was perfect. But there is a moment you have to be more evil and manage the game differently, we could not do that.”
Southampton have a tough assignment away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with online bookmakers listing the hosts as $1.45 favourites to defeat the Saints ($7.49).
Meanwhile, Manchester United will be at home in the EPL against Brighton & Hove Albion, and the top soccer betting sites paying $2.13 for the Red Devils to beat the Seagulls ($3.38).