Amad Diallo scores late 12-minute hat trick to rescue Man United in 3-1 win over Southampton

Amad Diallo keeps coming up with big late goals for Manchester United.

There were three of them Thursday in a remarkable 12-minute flurry that rescued United from an embarrassing loss to the Premier League’s worst team.

Diallo, a 22-year-old winger from the Ivory Coast, scored a hat trick from the 82nd minute to earn United a 3-1 victory over last-place Southampton — just when it looked like his team was heading for a fourth straight home loss for the first time since the 1930s.

“In football you have to believe. We believed until the end," said Diallo, who signed a new five-year contract with United last week as a reward for becoming one of its most important players.

That's because Diallo is proving a man for the big occasion. Two weeks ago, he scored an 80th-minute equalizer at Anfield to secure a 2-2 draw against Liverpool; a month ago, he scored a 90th-minute winner at Manchester City; and who could forget his winner in stoppage time of extra time as United ousted Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Now he is a mainstay of the team, even trusted by manager Ruben Amorim to play the demanding position of right wing back. By the end of the game against Southampton, Diallo was playing like a forward and he equalized in the 82nd minute, scoring at the second attempt after his initial shot was blocked.

Diallo put United ahead in the 90th minute when he ran onto Christian Eriksen's chip over the defense and volleyed home, and added a third goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time after dispossessing a Southampton defender in front of an empty goal.

“I am ready to play every position — I am ready to play as a wing back, No. 10, where the manager likes to put me," said Diallo, the second-youngest scorer of a Premier League hat trick for United, after Wayne Rooney. “I am ready to fight for this club.”

Amorim said “good things are going to happen” for the Ivory Coast international if he continues to train well.

“He is in a great moment and he is having a very good season,” Amorim said.

The victory continued an uptick for the fallen English giant, which beat Arsenal in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup on Sunday and was impressive in a 2-2 draw at first-place Liverpool in United’s previous league game.

United climbed to 12th place in the league but was largely poor against Southampton, which took the lead thanks to an own-goal by Manuel Ugarte in the 43rd minute.

Southampton stayed on just six points for the season and looks a near-certainty for relegation. The team is 10 points from safety.

The three relegation places are now filled by the teams promoted last season after Ipswich lost at home to Brighton 2-0.

Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter scored second-half goals for Brighton, which climbed to ninth place.

Ipswich dropped below Wolverhampton into third-to-last place and is only ahead of Leicester and Southampton.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester United's Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Amad Diallo, centre, scores his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Amad Diallo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Managerless Manchester United crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.

At the end of a week that saw the Premier League team fire head coach Ruben Amorim, the loss at Old Trafford has likely consigned United to another trophyless season and was greeted with loud jeers from the home crowd.

Former United striker Danny Welbeck scored what proved the decisive goal in the 64th minute - meaning Benjamin Sesko's late header was only a consolation in the third round match.

United has exited both domestic knockout competitions at the earliest possible stage this season, following the humbling loss to fourth-tier Grimsby in the English League Cup.

United's only chance of silverware this term is the Premier League, which would require a remarkable turnaround with the 20-time champion currently seventh in the standings and 17 points behind leader Arsenal with 17 games left.

Arsenal advanced earlier Sunday with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a hat trick in a 4-1 win at Portsmouth.

Martinelli's treble helped the Premier League leader come back from going a goal down to the second-tier Championship team inside three minutes.

Colby Bishop stunned Arsenal with the opening goal at Fratton Park, but the lead only lasted five minutes after Andre Dozzell scored an own-goal.

Martinelli put the visitors ahead with a flicked header in the 25th. He slid in for his second six minutes after the break and headed in his hat-trick goal in the 72nd. It was the first time the Brazilian had scored a hat trick for Arsenal.

Victory could have been even more emphatic if Noni Madueke had converted from the penalty spot in the first half.

“It’s always tough to go into these places, especially in the manner that we started the game, conceding the early goal, but we managed to turn things around so I’m very happy,” said manager Mikel Arteta.

Record 14-time FA Cup winner Arsenal last lifted the trophy in Arteta’s first season in charge in 2020. It was the last major honor the London club won, but victory against Portsmouth maintains its four-pronged trophy pursuit along with the Premier League title, the Champions League and the English League Cup.

“I think we are very privileged to be where we are, and the games that we have to play, which means that we are in every competition,” Arteta said.

Top-flight Leeds was also behind to Championship opposition, but recovered from 1-0 down to beat Derby 3-1 at Pride Park.

Third-tier Mansfield pulled off an upset to beat Championship side Sheffield United 4-3 and Norwich routed Walsall 5-1, with Jovon Makama scoring a hat trick. Norwich head coach Philippe Clement later said that U.S. international Josh Sargent refused to play in the game.

Relegation-fighting West Ham needed extra time to beat QPR 2-1. Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos’ goal saw Nuno Espirito Santo’s team end a 10-match winless run.

West Bromwich Albion beat Swansea 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time. Hull won 4-3 against Blackburn on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Brighton's Danny Welbeck celebrates after scoring during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha reacts during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli scores during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke celebrate after a goal during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Leeds United's James Justin scores their side's third goal of the game during the Emirates FA Cup third round match between Derby County and Leeds United, in Derby, England, Sunday Jan. 11, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Leeds United's Ao Tanaka, right, celebrates with Wilfried Gnonto after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Emirates FA Cup third round match between Derby County and Leeds United, in Derby, England, Sunday Jan. 11, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Arsenal players celebrate after a goal during the FA Cup third round soccer match between Portsmouth and Arsenal in Portsmouth, England, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)