Amad Diallo scores late hat trick to rescue Man United in 3-1 win over Southampton

By Canadian Press on January 16, 2025.

Amad Diallo rescued Manchester United with a late 12-minute hat trick to earn a 3-1 win over last-place Southampton in the Premier League on Thursday.

The 22-year-old winger equalized in the 82nd minute, put United ahead in the 90th and added a third goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, just when it looked like his team was heading for a fourth straight home loss for the first time since the 1930s.

An own-goal by Manuel Ugarte put Southampton ahead in the 43rd minute at Old Trafford.

Diallo’s late exploits came a week after he signed a five-year contract extension with the club and underlined his status as a potential star of the future — and a shining light in a miserable season for United.

However, the win continued an uptick for the fallen English giant, which beat Arsenal in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup on Sunday and was impressive in a 2-2 draw at first-place Liverpool in United’s previous league game.

United climbed to 12th place in the league.

Ipswich drops into relegation zone

The three relegation places are now filled by the teams promoted last season after Ipswich lost at home to Brighton 2-0.

Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter scored second-half goals for Brighton, which climbed to ninth place.

Ipswich dropped below Wolverhampton into third-to-last place and is only ahead of Leicester and Southampton.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Steve Douglas, The Associated Press