With his first hat-trick, the former Atalanta player turns the game around: fourth consecutive defeat for Juric’s team, leading until the 81st minute
Amad Diallo is under the curve of his fans who chant his name. He passes the ball after the referee has blown the whistle, lifts it with a nice dribble and puts it under his arm. It’s his, to take home, to put in his wall of most precious memories like that of his first hat-trick as a professional. The 22-year-old former Atalanta player, who joined United 4 years ago for around 30 million, has become the only certainty in this confusing start to the Amorim era and has done it again, he has saved United from the abyss, from a new fool. To the disbelief of Old Trafford, until the 81st minute the Red Devils were trailing (and deservedly so) against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, with Ivan Juric toying with the idea of achieving his first victory as a Premier League coach in the Teatro of Dreams. Diallo took care of waking him up, of changing a match that seemed scripted, of fixing the 3-1 between the 82nd and 94th minutes which means that United are back to winning after a month of abstinence, that the Amorim era can continue dreaming of making progress quickly. And that Southampton remains bottom of the table with just 6 points from 21 games.
THE KEYS
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Diallo is the hero of the evening at Old Trafford. The fans praise him as they do with champions, and the Ivorian is exactly that at the moment. On the right, his determination, his consistency, his ability to push even when his teammates are walking is what makes the difference, the outstretched hand that saves United from that abyss into which they were falling. Giving him a hand more than the others was Joshua Zirkzee: the Dutchman that Juve would like to bring back to Serie A (speaking of Italian transfer dreams: Garnacho, a very expensive Napoli target, started and Marcus Rashford, on Milan’s radar , was not called up) once again started from the bench, but when in the 53rd minute he replaced the outgoing Ramsus Højlund, the center of United’s attack found a point of reference, a capable terminal with his talent of support and help your teammates. It is one of the secrets of this comeback for United, who hadn’t won in the Premier League for 4 games: the Red Devils are 12/mi, with the same points as West Ham, but this victory leaves us with enthusiasm for the final comeback (every United fan would like forget at least the first 70′) adds to the draw at Anfield with Liverpool and the victory on penalties away to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Small steps in the right direction. The ones he has long dreamed of making for Southampton: Juric had prepared the team very well, finding in Sulemane the right weapon to hurt United on the left (what a fool Yoro is) and in the 18-year-old talent Tyler Dibling a promise who will soon end up on the radar of the greats and which favored Ugarte’s own goal in the 43rd minute which deluded the Saints into being able to perform a miracle in the Theater of Dreams. What Diallo did instead
THE MATCH
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Southampton went through with an own goal in the 43rd minute, but the advantage for Juric’s men was absolutely deserved. They were the ones who animated the first half, who had the best opportunities, who forced Onana to make the most difficult saves. To Old Trafford’s disbelief, United began the second half 1-0 down, with Antony replacing Mainoo and in the 53rd minute also with Zirkzee and Collyer trying to turn it around. The problems remain the same and in the 60th minute a sensational error with an empty net by Antony makes them even more difficult. The turning point came in the 82nd minute, when Diallo broke through to the right and managed to find the right angle for the equalizer. It is the beginning of a sensational show, the first step of a hat-trick that confirms how much he is the symbol of this first part of the Amorim era. The one who scores and avoids sensational fools
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