Amad Diallo hat-trick saves Manchester United from defeat to Southampton | Premier League

Panicked, amateurish and dicey with defeat to bottom-placed Southampton who had failed to win away from home in the Premier League: Manchester United flirted with the crimson embarrassment of a turnaround they would long remember.

But in came the game-winner, Amad Diallo, with a stunning 12-minute hat-trick. His third strike came in stoppage time – in an open goal – his second on the stroke of 90 – a superb finish to Christian Eriksen’s chip – and followed the winger’s mad run and equalizing strike minutes earlier. All from a refusal to lose.

Ruben Amorim said he would learn more about his players here than from Sunday’s FA Cup penalty shoot-out win at Arsenal or the earlier 2-2 draw with Liverpool. He definitely did after one screening, so it was surreal.

But at the final whistle, United’s unbeaten run at Southampton stretched to 17 games via a ferocious late display that should not have been called for against Ivan Juric’s side, who arrived with a point from their four games at the top.

This was a competition Amorim did not dare lose. In the end, United enjoyed victory in regular time for the first time since December 15 – the 2-1 derby win at Manchester City.

Amorim spoke of United needing to control the ball and occupy the opposition’s final third far more. Here he wants to reverse the pattern of the post-Ferguson era. Southampton duly dominated the ball and for most of the evening.

After 11 minutes, Kamaldeen Sulemana cut in from the left past Leny Yoro and let fly, André Onana dived low to save. More holy hold balls followed. Juric’s men kissed like a top-10 unit rather than one that came in with a minus-32 goal difference.

From Taylor Harwood-Bellis to Joe Aribo, Lesley Ugochukwu, James Bree, Tyler Dibling and back to Bree went into possession, in a move that preceded Mateus Fernandes driving through and testing Onana again.

On the sidelines, Amorim despaired. Once again his side lived off scraps and tried to hurt Southampton on the counter-attack. This is how they should have scored: Rasmus Højlund broke down the left wing, moved into the visitors’ area and teed up Alejandro Garnacho, but he shot wide.

A golden opening for the player who has made his first league start since December 7 and could depart this month.

Moments later, Ugochukwu survived a handball shout in his area – John Brooks waved this away – and Saints defended the corner the referee awarded instead.

Those were strange moments as Amorim yearns for control. Those in yellow had this and only an Onana double save prevented Juric’s side from taking the lead.

Once again United were separated when Dibling zipped in along an inside-right channel and unloaded: United’s no. 1 went down to save, then sprang up to deny Fernandes’ follow-up.

More followed: Yoro, again, was slipped by Sulemana, the striker burst through and raced across the edge of the area before missing with an effort that sent Juric comically crashing down the touchline.

Too many times the “oohs” from the home crowd signaled United’s latest mistake and now there was silence as Southampton scored. Fernandes swung in a corner from the left, Dibling swung on and the ball bounced off Manuel Ugarte, who was as unhappy as the flailing – and ineffective – Onana.

“We win away, you must be shit,” chanted a jubilant away section. When the half-time whistle blew, United were jeered off and the deficit almost became 2-0 but for Onana’s save from the excellent Dibling’s long-range effort.

Kobbie Mainoo was the sub, replaced by Antony at half-time. There was almost immediate payoff as Fernandes ran on to Ugarte’s pass down the left and turned the ball to the Brazilian, but his shot was deflected wide.

Then came more chaos in United’s back line. Sulemana bullied Diallo, passed to Kyle Walker-Peters, he skated in and a corner resulted. Soon after, Sulemana again shrugged off Yoro, moved into United’s area and his effort hit Matthijs de Ligt behind the latter’s shoulder. No handball was Brook’s correct judgment.

Amorim was already disgusted when he took Højlund and Ugarte out for Joshua Zirkzee and Toby Collyer. This was on 53 minutes and showed the head coach in desperation mode. His team was bad, though that would be an understatement.

When Garnacho’s sprint down the left ended with a weighted pass to Antony, there was a gaping goal to be found, but instead he unwittingly chugged a back pass to Aaron Ramsdale, a virtual spectator in Southampton’s goal, who collected gratefully.

How Amorim wished his side had more peace. Two more illustrations came when Zirkzee dawdled near the Saints’ goal and Garnacho unloaded straight at Ramsdale.

This was before Diallo’s intervention: the one domestic footballer ready for it at the moment. At 22 years and 189 days, the Ivorian is now the youngest United Premier League hat-trick scorer at Old Trafford.