'Another rescue act' - National media's Amad Man United point may worry Ruben Amorim

Had it not been for the heroics of Amad yet again, Manchester United may well have lost a fourth consecutive Premier League game at Old Trafford. Defeats to Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle came before the visit of Southampton and up until the 78th minute, another away victory looked likely.

A Manuel Ugarte own goal just before half-time put the Saints in front and up until the introduction of Toby Collyer and Joshua Zirkzee in the 54th minute, United did not look like scoring. The latter gave Ruben Amorim's side a platform to play off with Amad ultimately as the one who took full advantage.

United's equaliser arrived eight minutes from time when Amad showed great persistence to battle through several challenges in the box before firing past Aaron Ramsdale. He then latched onto a lofted Christian Eriksen pass to turn the game on its head before completing his hat-trick with a simple finish after a Southampton defensive mistake.

That is the third time Amad has starred in a United comeback in just four weeks with heroics away to Manchester City and Liverpool also helping his side pick up points. While it is great that Amorim has a clutch player for moments like Thursday evening, they are becoming far too common and it is certainly not sustainable.

With that being said, the national media have all provided their verdict on the game and unsurprisingly, are in agreement on a number of topics.

'An inspiration'

Andy Dunn for the Mirror wrote:

Ruben Amorim can claim one unqualified success in his short time as Manchester United manager.

He has ensured the club’s fans have a hero, a talisman, an inspiration they can salute for many years to come. A week after Amad signed a deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until the next decade.

The 22-year-old Ivorian stood in front of the Stretford End with a megawatt smile that dispensed the gloom that had enveloped the stadium for so much of this remarkable contest.

Contrast that smile with the thunderous look on Amad’s face three months ago in Istanbul when Erik ten Hag waited until the dying embers of a game against Fenerbahce to send one of his in-form players onto the pitch in search of a winner.

Had Ten Hag been kept on, would Amad have gone? No-one knows for sure but what is certain is that Amad’s brilliance has instantly blossomed under Amorim.

And this match-winning, 12-minute hat-trick was not just about his brilliance - it was about his persistence, it was about his engine, his energy, his effervescence. Amad is, quite simply, a player who makes things happen. And boy, did Amorim and Manchester United need someone to make things happen.

'Another virtuoso rescue act'

James Ducker for the Telegraph wrote:

For a good 80 minutes or so, Manchester United were facing the potential ignominy of a fourth consecutive home defeat.

The first television sets had only been on sale a few years the last time that happened at Old Trafford. The year was 1930, United were managed by a former referee called Herbert Bamlett and Ramsay MacDonald was prime minister. So that was not a record United will have much fancied matching.

By the time the clock hit minute 82, Southampton could and should have been out of sight. Only a plethora of missed chances and a stupendous display from Andre Onana in the United goal had kept the Premier League’s basement club at bay for the first hour of a game in which Ruben Amorim’s side were a distant second all over the pitch.

And then Amad stepped forward to produce another of his virtuoso rescue acts and doubtless leave United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, watching from the directors’ box, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

United’s match-winner against Manchester City last month, scorer of the goal that earned a deserved draw at Liverpool 10 days earlier and now the plunderer of a stunning 12-minute hat-trick that dug his team out of a big hole.

'A refusal to lose'

Jamie Jackson for the Guardian wrote:

Panicky, amateurish and dicing with defeat against Southampton, who are bottom and had failed to win away in the Premier League: Manchester United flirted with the crimson embarrassment of a reverse they would long be reminded of.

But, enter the game-winner, Amad, with a stunning 12-minute hat-trick. His third strike came in added time – into an open goal – his second on the stroke of the 90 – a fine finish of Christian Eriksen’s chip – and followed the winger’s mazy run and equalising stab just minutes before. All from a refusal to lose.

'This was something else'

Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail wrote:

'Every time I'm on the pitch, I want to fight for this club.' The words from Amad were on the front of Thursday night's match programme alongside a photo of Manchester United's new darling.

And thank goodness for United, Amad did fight. Because for more than 80 minutes here at Old Trafford they were second best to bottom-of-the-table Southampton, a team that is still on course to become statistically the worst in Premier League history.

United trailed to a Manuel Ugarte own-goal. They were facing a fourth top-flight defeat in a row – equalling an unwanted record that has stood since 1930 – and a sixth in eight games under new head coach Ruben Amorim, who could only look on in agony.

Then Amad decided to take matters into his own hands with a sensational 12-minute hat-trick. The little Ivorian who has emerged as a huge presence under Amorim with big goals against Manchester City and Liverpool this season to earn a new contract.

But this was something else altogether. With United in dire straits and Saints on the verge of a deserved win, he came to the rescue.