Amad proved Manchester United's hero as his late hat-trick secured an unlikely 3-1 comeback victory over struggling Southampton.
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United seemed destined for a humbling home defeat to the Premier League's bottom side after Manuel Ugarte turned Tyler Dibling's flick-on past Andre Onana just two minutes before half-time.
However, Amad – who levelled late on in United's 2-2 draw with Liverpool last time out in the league – equalised with just eight minutes remaining after steering under Aaron Ramsdale.
The Ivorian winger then got another in the 90th minute when volleying Christian Eriksen's neat dink past Ramsdale, before profiting from Taylor Harwood-Bellis' error to roll into an empty net four minutes later.
The victory lifts United to 12th in the table, while Southampton – who still have just one win in the 2024/25 campaign – remain 10 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the league.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Fulham
FUL
|
21 | +2 | 30 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
21 | +3 | 28 |
| 12 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
21 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 |
West Ham
WHU
|
21 | -14 | 26 |
| 14 |
Spurs
TOT
|
21 | +11 | 24 |
| 15 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
21 | -5 | 24 |
How the match unfolded
Alejandro Garnacho steered a glorious chance wide in the 20th minute before Onana produced a remarkable double save to deny Dibling and Mateus Fernandes' follow-up attempt from point-blank range at the other end.
However, Onana had no answer when Dibling's near-post header from Fernandes' corner deflected off Ugarte and squirmed past the United goalkeeper's right hand just minutes before the interval.
Antony should have equalised in the second half but somehow guided Garnacho's left-sided cross straight at Ramsdale, though Amad made amends when drilling under the Southampton goalkeeper after linking up with Joshua Zirkzee.
Amad doubled down on his heroics soon after when volleying Eriksen's dink with his left foot past Ramsdale, who was left helpless in stoppage time once again.
The Southampton goalkeeper played out to Harwood-Bellis, who took too much time on the ball before gifting Amad a tap-in to seal his hat-trick and a memorable comeback win.
Amad gets United out of trouble
It appeared United would falter once again at Old Trafford, where they had lost their last three league matches before this eye-catching comeback.
Garnacho should have opened the scoring midway through the first half, profiting from Rasmus Hojlund's fine turn of pace before directing wide when unmarked.
Kobbie Mainoo then inexplicably attempted to square for Garnacho when one-on-one with Ramsdale and those missed chances came back to haunt Ruben Amorim's side before the break.
Antony's close-range miss on the hour left all inside Old Trafford scratching their heads before Bruno Fernandes' delicate chip was turned away by Ramsdale as United increased the pressure late on.
That dominance eventually paid off when Amad hammered home at the second attempt after creative work by Zirkzee on the right-hand side.
Amad's never-say-die attitude again proved decisive to get on the end of Eriksen's well-timed lob before the 22-year-old finished with composure belying his young age with a brilliant stretching volley.
His work rate came to the fore once more with just seconds remaining, forcing Harwood-Bellis into an uncharacteristic mistake that sealed an emphatic performance from United's new hero.
Amorim will hope his other United players can take inspiration from the brilliance of Amad when they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Slick Southampton punished again
Southampton did not look like a side that had managed just one league win – a 1-0 triumph over Everton in early November – after dominating for large periods against United.
Kamaldeen Sulemana's quick feet made light work of Leny Yoro early on before his right-footed effort was pushed away by Onana, who was then on hand to stop a tame Mateus Fernandes effort soon after.
Southampton's Fernandes then simply had to score before the half-hour mark, controlling inside the six-yard box after Dibling's attempt deflected into the area before blasting straight at Onana.
Sulemana again breezed away from Yoro before arrowing narrowly wide of the top-right corner, though Dibling's well-timed jump brought a fortuitous opener when Ugarte could only turn past his own goalkeeper.
Another Dibling effort tested the reflexes of Onana on the stroke of half-time, while Sulemana tormented Yoro once more after the interval with another driving run that ended in the winger striking just off target.
Yet, for all of Southampton's chances, another collapse in defence proved their downfall as Ivan Juric was once again left to rue a missed opportunity. He will hope his side can bounce back when they visit in-form Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Club reports
Man Utd report | Southampton report
What the managers said
Ruben Amorim: "We didn't have a good game, but at this moment, winning is the most important thing. They did a very good job Southampton. The feeling is we have so much to do - the team is really tired. Today was not a lack of enthusiasm, it was a lack of control in the game."
Ivan Juric: "We did really good for 75-80 minutes. But we missed the mentality to win the game. There is a moment where you have to be clever and be more malicious to do certain things. We were like innocent kids in some moments and we lost the game that we controlled for 75 minutes. "
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Key facts
Only Wayne Rooney (21y 4d v Bolton in October 2006) has scored a Premier League hat-trick for Man Utd at a younger age than Amad tonight (22y 189d), who is now the Red Devils’ youngest ever hat-trick scorer at Old Trafford in the competition.
Man Utd are now unbeaten in each of their last 16 Premier League meetings with Southampton (W8 D8), their joint-longest ongoing run against an opponent in the competition (also 16 v Charlton).
Southampton are winless in each of their last 18 Premier League away matches (D4 L14), the longest run without victory on the road in the division since Aston Villa in September 2019 (21 matches).
Amad is the third player in Premier League history to score three times in the final 10 minutes of a match after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer v Nottingham Forest in February 1999 and Rooney v Hull City in January 2010, with all three instances coming by Man Utd players.
