A 12-minute hat-trick from Amad Diallo spared Manchester United’s blushes against Southampton.
The Red Devils started poorly at Old Trafford and looked headed for a hugely disappointing defeat when Manuel Ugarte’s unfortunate own-goal handed the visitors a lead.
Southampton perhaps should have had a bigger lead at the break but for Andre Onana’s incredible double save.
In the second half, Manchester United continued to struggle and a 10th Premier League defeat of the season looked likely until Amad Diallo netted a 12-minute hat-trick to secure a dramatic 3-1 win.
Amad, fresh from signing a new contract at Old Trafford, single-handedly salvaged three points for a United side that otherwise looked toothless.
Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles continue vs Southampton
Heading into the Southampton clash, Ruben Amorim knew United were facing a different challenge than in recent games against Liverpool and Arsenal. United needed to find a way to dominate against weaker opposition and break teams down without relying on counter-attacks.
However, Rasmus Hojlund was woeful against Southampton and United’s attacks kept breaking down when the ball reached the Dane.
As reported by The Athletic, it took only 13 minutes before Amorim pulled Rasmus Hojlund aside to instruct him over his movement.
Hojlund drew a groan from the Old Trafford crowd early on when he allowed Jan Bednarek to easily cut out a pass. Journalist Laurie Whitwell spotted one moment which appeared to frustrate Amorim.
“Hojlund gave a flick of his hand to explain he was going towards the left channel to find space but Amorim wanted him more central,” he wrote in The Athletic, before explaining that United captain Bruno Fernandes then got involved.
“Two minutes later, Bruno Fernandes was giving Hojlund pointers, asking him to drop deeper to help with build-up.”
It was certainly a frustrating evening for Hojlund, and it may end up costing him his starting spot.
Joshua Zirkzee impresses as Rasmus Hojlund disappoints
United looked poor going forward when Hojlund was leading the line, but that drastically changed when Joshua Zirkzee was introduced in the second half.
Zirkzee impressed United fans after coming off the bench, and it was clear that his confidence has grown since scoring the decisive penalty against Arsenal in the FA Cup shootout win.
The Dutch striker held the ball up well which allowed United to get more players up the pitch. His link-up play around the box was sharp and he ended the match with two key passes in just 37 minutes.
READ MORE: Five things learned as Manchester United beat Southampton 3-1
It seemed as though Hojlund had become Amorim’s first-choice striker, but the United boss may have to reconsider his pecking order after Zirkzee outshone his strike partner against Southampton.
Despite reports of a January exit, Zirkzee will be staying at United this month and he may have just earned himself a start against Brighton next time out.
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