Matthijs de Ligt praised his Manchester United team-mates after Thursday night’s win.
Manchester United beat Southampton 3-1 at Old Trafford to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
The Saints took the lead before the break following Manuel Ugarte’s own goal, but a 12-minute hat-trick from Amad Diallo secured three points for the hosts.
Ruben Amorim’s side were second-best throughout the game, particularly in the first half, and looked set to suffer a fourth league home in a row defeat until they forced the comeback.
The United head coach said he would learn more about his players against Southampton than from the previous two matches against Liverpool and Arsenal. That was certainly the case, albeit in a worrying sense, but the Reds earned credit for showing a fighting spirit in the final minutes.
Matthijs de Ligt hails Manchester United trio
Matthijs de Ligt focused on the positives after United’s win over Southampton.
Rather than dwell on the negatives, De Ligt named three players – who came on from the bench – had big impacts on the game.
Speaking to MUTV after the match, De Ligt said: “Obviously it is easy to speak about the defence, but I think as a team in general we were fighting for every ball and defending.
“Also the subs that came in, big compliments to them.
“They energy and intensity they gave… Antony, Toby Collyer, Josh, how he was holding up the ball, that was amazing to see. It is so important for us players to get that help as defenders, as you saw today that they have some good players in the front.
“I think in the end we felt also saw more confidence to press a little bit higher and risk a little bit more and we scored three goals.”
Antony, Toby Collyer and Joshua Zirkzee were all substitutes but the three players made positive impacts on the game.
Manchester United showed fighting spirit
While Amad will take all the headlines after his hat-trick heroics, De Ligt took time to praise the collective effort of United’s first team, praising his team-mates for forcing a comeback win.
De Ligt started the game in the heart of defence but United were unable to keep a clean sheet due to Ugarte’s own goal in the first half.
Southampton’s opener put United on the back foot but the Reds never gave up.
“I think we are still in the early phase of our development as a team,” De Ligt added. “I think what you could see in the last couple of games, and everybody could see that, was the spirit, especially if we came from behind.
“I think today was something like three goals in eight minutes. Being 1-0 behind after 80 minutes against the team bottom of the league, for pressure, it is not easy.
“To still turn it around, as a footballer you know it isn’t easy, so I am really happy that we did it. Obviously we know that we have to improve, but the three points are the most important.”
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