Hattrick hero Amad saves Man Utd against bottom side Saints

On January 17, 2025By Littum

More Premier League action was underway on Thursday, with two games on the schedule. Here’s what went down around the grounds.

Amad’s heroics save Man Utd

Goal scorers: Amad 82′, 90′, 90+4′; Ugarte 43′ (OG)

A thriller at Old Trafford was delivered right to the end as Manchester United beat Southampton in a stunning 3-1 comeback.

But it wasn’t so nice for the home fans, who were initially frustrated by what was shown in the first half. Visiting supporters, meanwhile, rejoiced.

Youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo pushed for an impact after earning the starts, but it was goalkeeper Andre Onana who was most active.

An early save to deny Kamaldeen Sulemana hinted at what was to come. Tyler Dibling also called Onana into another save, and the keeper made it two in one, denying Mateus Fernandes on the follow-up.

To make matters worse for United, an unmarked Garnacho had a brilliant chance to open the scoring at the other end, but he missed the target completely after crashing into the box.

Confident and free-flowing Southampton, meanwhile, continued to contain United in their own half as the game approached the break. Such pressure eventually broke the hosts.

After a corner, the ball hit Manuel Ugarte’s back and despite Onana’s hand getting to it, it wasn’t strong enough. The goal was Southampton’s first from a corner this season.

The visitors continued to strut their stuff inside the Theater of Dreams, at times leaving home fans with their heads in their hands. Sulemana had a chance to double the lead but saw his low curler go inches wide of the net from the left side of the box.

Those agonizing scenes repeated themselves minutes later when Antony was next to miss from point-blank range after Garnacho brilliantly set him up at the back post from just a few yards.

The final 15 minutes were scrappy with Southampton making late or hasty clearances as United controlled the ball. Captain Bruno Fernandes came closest to finding an equaliser, but Aaron Ramsdale saved his effort.

The next two times Ramsdale was called into action, however, he was beaten and Old Trafford celebrated wildly as one of the aforementioned youngsters born at the death.

Amad first curled a low shot at the near post to level things at 1-1 before momentarily making it 2-1 when he raced into the box and pointed home the winner.

His solid individual performance then went one better after stealing the ball in the box and securing victory with a hat-trick.

Brighton dig deep after Ipswich win

Goal scorers: Mitoma 59′, Rutter 81′

Brighton finally got their first win in eight games after digging out a 2-0 win over resilient Ipswich Town.

Kaoru Mitoma was particularly lively in midfield during the early displays as the Seagulls initially controlled the pitch in this contest. Joao Pedro tried to find the opening but sent a looping header wide in a chance he wanted back.

Meanwhile, the hosts took some time to grow into the game. Nathan Broadhead’s curling effort was denied by Bart Verbruggen near the half-hour before Liam Delap’s thunderous strike from the edge of the box was too.

A first half with only a handful of genuine chances remained 0-0 at the break.

The controversy came early in the second half when Pedro completely took out goalkeeper Christian Walton. The forward was booked for the incident and Ipswich argued for the color as Walton required a brief concussion check.

Things got worse for the hosts when Brighton took the lead minutes later. An alert and unmarked Mitoma was close to the top of the box and drove home to make it 1-0.

Then, just like the first half, the visitors dominated the game. However, their second goal came after a lengthy VAR check. Georginio Rutter added some cushion after picking up the ball from a free-kick, turning and turning in the box before driving home to make it 2-0.

The result means that Brighton is ninth in the table, while Ipswich is number 18.

More Premier League action continues this weekend with Newcastle v Bournemouth kicking things off.

OLI SCARFF – AFP or licensors