Manchester United have given us reason to smile again with a second half comeback against Southampton.
A 3-1 win against Southampton sounds simple – but it really was not, with the team looking like falling victim to a surprise defeat to the premier League’s bottom team.
Amad took over late in the game, scoring a hat-trick – with his first goal coming in the 82nd minute.
Here is a look at our winners and losers from the game…
Winners
We were very close to going with no winners at all midway through the second half. And few fans would disagree with such a blanket statement after a performance like that. But we’ve found a handful.
Amad Diallo
Manchester United’s most productive player since Ruben Amorim took charge, Amad Diallo got on the scoresheet again, grabbing an equaliser against the Saints.
He is United’s most dangerous player even when he is not at his best, and is now on 9 goals and 7 assists for the season.
Now the team’s top scorer for the season, Amad is the first Manchester United player to score a hat-trick for the club since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2023 against Norwich.
Joshua Zirkzee
Credit where it’s due, Joshua Zirkzee played well when he came on. He didn’t get a sniff of goal, that’s too much to ask – but he did play a part in Amad’s equaliser.
And if the bar is simply ‘doing better than Rasmus Hojlund’, it was one he cleared, managing more touches of the ball in his minutes than the Dane did.
Toby Collyer
Youngster Toby Collyer came on early in the second half to replace Manuel Ugarte, and he did not look out of place at all.
Collyer was effective and crisp with his passing, and did what he was asked to do, while Amad slowly took over at the other end.
Christian Eriksen
In limited doses, Christian Eriksen can still be useful. Starting him in central midfield against high intensity teams is not the way to use him.
Bringing him off the bench when United are chasing a game and enjoying possession, allowing him to pick the lock of a defence like a late-stage Juan Mata.
Losers
We are spoiled for choice in this section, with Manchester United’s players putting in an abject display for much of the game. We have tried to narrow it down.
Rasmus Hojlund
To be fair, Rasmus Hojlund should have ended the night with an assist after a strong run and pass to Alejandro Garnacho was wasted in the first half.
Beyond that, he was totally anonymous, managing only 18 touches in total, and failing to attempt a shot at goal.
Hojlund has not scored in the Premier League since October, and the worrying thing is, he has not looked close to doing so.
Leny Yoro
This was a rough night for young defender Leny Yoro, who was targeted by pacy Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana.
Yoro was rotated into the Manchester United team for the rested Harry Maguire. Perhaps the England defender would have been torn apart by Sulemana too – but Yoro was, and it was hard to watch at times.
Antony
Antony has not had many opportunities this season, and he got one when he was brought on at half-time against Southampton.
Desperate to make an impact, Antony failed to do so, and missed a glaring chance in front of an open goal midway through the second half.
This was a chance for United to put Antony in the shop window too – but we wouldn’t expect any offers off the back of that performance.
Alejandro Garnacho
Amid speculation over Alejandro Garnacho’s future at the club, and a warning from Ruben Amorim that he needs to learn how to play the position he was selected in, this was a poor display.
Amorim gave him a starting spot, and Garnacho wasted United’s best opportunity when the game was goalless, shooting wide when it looked easier to score.
Garnacho was erratic through the contest, and if United had more options, he would have been hooked.
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