“Playing against him won’t be easy…He always show you what you’ve never seen before”: Arsenal defender William Saliba has named the only Man United’s player he’s scared to face ahead of their FA Cup clash
Another Manchester United game, another five-star display from Amad Diallo. It’s just becoming the norm.
It takes a truly exceptional player to be the shining light of a game in which his side lost and he didn’t even start. Yet, that was the case with Amad last night as the Reds fell to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.
Ruben Amorim had opted to grant the Ivorian livewire some respite by leaving him out of his much-rotated starting XI but was eventually made to reverse his decision after the interval when Spurs extended their lead to three goals.
Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Cristian Eriksen made way for Amad, Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo in a triple-change that proved instantaneously successful, so credit to Amorim for that.
Bruno Fernandes’ closing down of the Spurs defence while they tried to pass their way off of their byline resulted in United stealing possession. Zirkzee was in the perfect spot to then tap home a poacher’s goal and decrease the deficit, spurring hopes of a potential turnaround.
Then, Amad’s unrelenting pressing had an already shaky Fraser Forster on the ropes. He took an unnecessarily heavy touch after receiving the ball from Lucas Bergvall and United’s No.16 was there to pounce and find the back of the net.
The Reds had their tails up from the 70th minute onwards; they could smell blood and knew that, if at their most clinical, there was a chance they could complete another emphatic comeback akin to last Sunday’s Manchester derby.
However, Son Heung-min’s late goal directly from the corner spot dampened such hopes, with Jonny Evans’ headed finish in injury time – assisted by Amad – eventually in vain.
MUTV panel wowed by Amad yet again
It’ll come as no surprise to learn that Amad stole the spotlight during MUTV’s post-match coverage.
Phil Bardsley said of the ‘unplayable’ 22-year-old: “Players came on and made an impact. They certainly made a difference. Amad again, a special, special player.”
“Yeah, he was really on form again when he came on. Completely changes the game, just his grit, and determination and he’s doing the basics to the best of his ability,” Wes Brown added.
“He didn’t give up, he’s got that winning spirit and gave us that spark.”
