Manchester United fans singled out Joshua Zirkzee after the Netherlands striker’s second-half cameo against Premier League strugglers Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
The Red Devils played their first match at Old Trafford in 2025 and Ruben Amorim’s men came from behind to avoid an embarrassing Premier League defeat.
Manchester United were stunned in the first half after Southampton took the lead, with the Red Devils once again being exposed from set-pieces.
A huge deflection off the back of Manuel Ugarte from a Southampton corner put Ivan Juric’s men 1-0 up going into half-time at Old Trafford.
However, Ruben Amorim’s side managed to climb back into the Premier League contest thanks to a stunning late hat-trick from Red Devils winger Amad Diallo.
Amad Diallo, who recently inked a new contract, scored the equaliser for United in the 82nd minute before the Ivorian attacker netted his second in the 90th minute.
The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international slammed home his third in injury time and Amad’s sensational hat-trick sealed all three points for United.
Zirkzee’s second-half cameo for Man Utd
Manchester United have climbed to 12th place in the Premier League table after their 3-1 comeback win against Southampton at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim started the match with Rasmus Hojlund leading the frontline and the 21-year-old Denmark striker’s struggles in the final third continued.
Rasmus Hojlund was hooked off in the 53rd minute and Joshua Zirkzee took his place, with the United summer signing making a real impact for the Red Devils.
Joshua Zirkzee has been heavily criticised since his move to Old Trafford last summer and the Dutch forward has struggled with his goalscoring output.
The 23-year-old, who has been linked with Juventus, hit a low point at the end of 2024 after he was hooked off in the first half in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle.
Zirkzee was booed off in the Newcastle loss at Old Trafford, but the Netherlands international has bounced back and showed his quality against Southampton.
Despite not scoring against the Saints, the United star impressed with his link-up play and helped shape the Red Devils’ attack after coming on the pitch.
Man Utd fans react to Zirkzee vs Southampton
United fans on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, lavished praise on Zirkzee after his performance against Southampton at Old Trafford.
Red Devils supporters argued that the dynamic of the match changed when the ex-Bologna man took to the pitch and offered more than what Rasmus Hojlund did.
However, one United fan insisted that only Amad Diallo’s stunning hat-trick could “overshadow” the performance that Zirkzee delivered for United.
“Amad obviously going to get all the plaudits, but it was Zirkzee tonight that changed the game… I don’t want to see Hojlund again, please,” one fan tweeted.
While another added: “Joshua Zirkzee was fantastic when he came on. Changed the game, IMO. He has to start now!”
Someone else commented: “Zirkzee was top when he came on, don’t forget it. Only something like an Amad hat-trick could overshadow it.”
A fourth wrote: “Joshua Zirkzee came on and changed the game. He’s bounced back superbly since he got booed off. Fair play to Zirkzee.”
“Zirkzee changed the flow of the game, his runs gave Amad the space to score his hat-trick,” a fifth said.
Somebody else posted: “We should all sing Zirkzee[‘s] [name] tonight. He made the difference with Amad.”
And a seventh suggested: “Yes, Amad Diallo got the hat-trick, but Joshua Zirkzee changed this game for us.”
An eighth X user tweeted: “Amad will rightly get the plaudits, but Zirkzee changed the game. Playing with his back to goal, he held the ball up, brought others into play and allowed United to retain possession in the attacking third. Stark contrast to Hojlund, who now needs to sit on the bench.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
