Report: Saints left devastated by late Amad hat-trick

For a long time the visitors looked on course for a first Premier League away win of the season, as Manuel Ugarte’s own goal gave Saints a deserved half-time lead.

Kamaldeen Sulemana was outstanding as Saints forced a flurry of first-half saves from André Onana, and continued on the front foot after the interval.

United did begin to apply pressure after the hour mark, eventually drawing level through Amad’s first goal with only eight minutes left.

Just as Saints looked set to take a point home – the least they deserved on the night – the winger added a crushing second goal in the 90th minute, before completing his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Ivan Jurić opted for a solitary change to his triumphant Emirates FA Cup line-up that comfortably saw off Swansea at St Mary’s.

Yukinari Sugawara was preferred to Ryan Manning at wing-back, meaning Kyle Walker-Peters switched to the left flank as James Bree continued on the right side of Saints’ three-man defence.

Jurić could only have been encouraged by the way his team started. Expectation was high inside Old Trafford after United’s successful recent trips to Liverpool and Arsenal, but it was Saints who began the game in the ascendancy.

Kamaldeen, fresh from scoring his first goal in two seasons, slipped away from Leny Yoro with an explosive turn before forcing Onana into a diving save low to his left.

Then space opened up for Mateus Fernandes to drive at the home defence and test Onana once more, albeit this was a far more routine stop.

Mateus Fernandes forces André Onana into another early save

Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho both saw speculative efforts blocked as the hosts attempted to respond, but Jurić’s men had more than held their own through the opening exchanges.

The first big warning arrived in the 20th minute. Rasmus Højlund raced in behind the right side of the Saints defence and could not be caught as he advanced deep into the box, cutting the ball back for Garnacho who seemingly had to score but instead steered the chance wide from 12 yards.

Garnacho might have had an even better opportunity when Fernandes played a clever pass through for Kobbie Mainoo, but his attempted cutback was not read by the Argentinian, allowing Taylor Harwood-Bellis to clear.

Harwood-Bellis then thwarted Garnacho, who was involved again, with an important block as United showed their first signs of finding their rhythm.

Just as the hosts thought they had assumed control, they should have fallen behind.

Tyler Dibling embarked on his first dangerous dribble of the night as he surged through the left side of the United backline, jinking inside Matthijs de Ligt and forcing another Onana save, low to his right this time.

But that was not the end of the action, as Fernandes controlled the rebound on his chest and drilled the dropping ball goalwards only to be denied by a remarkable reflex save, as Onana made his fourth stop before the half-hour mark and by far the best of the bunch, leaving the bouncing Jurić with his hands on his head.

This was Saints’ best performance for some time. Kamaldeen, rejuvenated by his goal in the cup, made a fool of Yoro once more when he allowed the ball to run beyond him and spun in behind, cutting inside on to his right foot and whipping a shot inches wide.

The ball finds the net via Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte

Saints should have been a couple of goals ahead, but they did finally get the breakthrough they deserved two minutes before the interval.

After de Ligt’s last-ditch tackle denied Kamaldeen, Fernandes delivered the resulting corner, Dibling flicked it on and the unfortunate Ugarte was powerless to prevent the ball deflecting off his back and into the net.

A fierce snapshot from Dibling underlined Saints’ dominance, forcing Onana into yet another first-half save.

Unsurprisingly, Ruben Amorim made a half-time change to try to inject some life into his team, and substitute Antony threatened to have an immediate impact when his shot deflected over off the sliding Harwood-Bellis.

Otherwise the pattern of play did not change. Kamaldeen wanted a penalty when his shot struck de Ligt, who slid in with his arm up, but replays proved the ball struck the defender on the back.

Then Fernandes clipped the top of the wall from a free-kick just outside the penalty area, by which time, eight minutes into the second half, Amorim had made two further substitutions.

Kamaldeen was frightening the life out of Yoro, pulling him into Saints’ left channel and accelerating away, but he went for goal from a tight angle when perhaps there were teammates better placed.

Old Trafford seemed in a state of shock, but there was a response of sorts from United on the hour.

Fernandes fed the run of Garnacho, whose low cross looked certain to provide a goal for Antony at the far post, only for the Brazilian to slide in and fail to connect cleanly with the ball, allowing Aaron Ramsdale to recover.

Then play was allowed to continue after Fernandes clattered into Dibling, prompting Garnacho to force another save from Ramsdale, and Will Smallbone to come on for his first Premier League appearance since October, replacing the stricken teenager.

Saints celebrate taking the lead at Old Trafford

Flynn Downes and Adam Armstrong followed 10 minutes later, by which time Lesley Ugochukwu had made a crucial block from Amad’s driven shot, but United were pushing sporadically. This wasn’t wave after wave of home pressure.

Ramsdale has had much busier nights, though the England stopper did make an important intervention to deny Fernandes’s attempted chip as the captain tried to inspire a revival.

Instead it was Amad who finally broke through Saints’ admirable resistance, collecting Joshua Zirkzee’s pass and drilling a right-footed shot inside Ramsdale’s near post eight minutes from time.

Jurić reacted immediately, calling for the aerial prowess of Nathan Wood and Paul Onuachu to help his side through the closing stages.

But this was to be Amad’s night, as the winger traded passes with substitute Christian Eriksen and volleyed home on the stretch.

Saints, devastated by Diallo’s double, went close to rescuing a result when Harwood-Bellis headed against Downes from a corner, but things got worse when Amad robbed Harwood-Bellis, who had defended manfully for so long, on the edge of his own six-yard box to complete his hat-trick in bizarre fashion.

Manchester United: Onana, Yoro (Maguire 83), de Ligt, Martínez, Amad, Ugarte (Collyer 53), Mainoo (Antony 46), Mazraoui (Eriksen 83), Fernandes (captain), Garnacho, Højlund (Zirkzee 53).

Unused substitutes: Bayindir, Malacia, Kukonki, Casemiro.

Goals: Amad (82’, 90’, 90+4’).

Booked: Martínez.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Bree, Bednarek (captain) (Wood 83), Harwood-Bellis, Walker-Peters, Ugochukwu (Onuachu 83), Aribo (Downes 73), Fernandes (Armstrong 73), Dibling (Smallbone 63), Kamaldeen.

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Manning, Lallana, Archer.

Goals: Ugarte (43’ og).

Booked: Dibling, Fernandes, Downes.

Referee: John Brooks.