Match Coverage
30-touch Manchester United man left Old Trafford in disbelief after “unbelievable” horror decision vs Southampton
One Manchester United man left Old Trafford in disbelief after a shocking decision that almost left Rúben Amorim with a terror loss against Southampton on Thursday evening.
Amad stole the show for Manchester United on Thursday evening, bagging a stunning 12-minute hat-trick to secure a thrilling comeback victory over Southampton in the Premier League.
The match began with United enjoying the lion’s share of possession, but it was Southampton who carried the greater threat. André Onana was called into action multiple times, producing a series of brilliant saves to keep the visitors at bay. United nearly broke the deadlock when Alejandro Garnacho came close after 20 minutes, but it was Southampton who struck first, punishing United’s weakness at defending corners to take the lead just before half-time. It marked the fourth consecutive home match in which Rúben Amorim’s side had conceded first.
The second half saw Antony introduced in place of Kobbie Mainoo, with Bruno Fernandes dropping deeper to orchestrate play from midfield. However, United’s struggles in attack persisted as Antony squandered a golden chance to equalise from close range on the hour mark, much to the frustration of the home crowd.
With time running out and hope fading, Amad delivered a moment of brilliance to draw United level, blasting a thunderous strike past Aaron Ramsdale with fewer than ten minutes left. Moments later, he completed the turnaround, racing onto a sublime Christian Eriksen pass to calmly slot the ball into the net.
As Southampton pushed forward in search of a late equaliser, Amad put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time, using his strength to win the ball and fire home his third of the night. His heroics made him the first United player to score a hat-trick since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2022 and secured a vital three points for Rúben Amorim’s side.
Antony stunned United with an “unbelievable” decision
While the dust has now settled with Amad the hero once again under Amorim, there was a point where almost everyone at Old Trafford thought they were about to witness the club’s fourth loss in a row at the stadium.
The mood could not have been more encapsulated by TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist during his reaction to Antony’s miss in the second half.
With Garnacho crossing an inch-perfect low pass to the path of the Brazilian attacker, the 24-year-old chose to slide in, completely messing up his shot and leaving McCoist stunned at the horror decision.
Why’s he going to ground?” the Scotsman said in complete disbelief at Antony, who had 30 touches throughout the tie. “Just knock it in!
“Why did he go down? The ball across is perfect.
“Why are you falling down there? Just knock the ball into the back of the net. It’s unbelievable!”
McCoist perfectly summarised the feeling at Old Trafford during the horror moment, and once Amorim chose to throw Amad further forward with Antony staying further back, the game flipped on it’s head.
“It was not a great game,” Amorim told BBC Sport after the game. “After Liverpool and Arsenal, I felt the team was a little tired.
“We were always late, especially in the first half with some problems between the lines. The speed of Kamaldeen Sulemana was really hard to catch and they created some chances also.
“But we improved in the second half and they lost some strength because they were doing man-to-man. Then we took control of the game and created chances. You have a feeling that it’s going to be hard on them, but we deserved the win.”
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