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'Amazing to see' - Matthijs de Ligt praises three Man United players after Southampton win

Matthijs de Ligt smiles as he is interviewed by MUTV.
-Credit:MUTV.


Defender Matthijs de Ligt praised Manchester United's fighting spirit and the impact of their substitutes following Thursday night's 3-1 win over Southampton at Old Trafford.

Trailing 1-0 with just under 10 minutes left to play following Manuel Ugarte's first half own-goal, Amad got United out of jail, scoring a 12-minute hat-trick to seal an unlikely victory.

Ruben Amorim's side were second best for long spells of the game, particularly in the first half, and could have had no complaints had they suffered a fourth Premier League home defeat in a row. However, Amad's brilliance in the closing stages saved them.

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Despite the Ivorian being the architect of United's come-from-behind win, De Ligt hailed the collective effort of the team, praising his teammates' efforts for coming from behind for the second time in their last three matches.

De Ligt told MUTV: "I think we are still in the early phase of our development as a team. I think what you could see in the last couple of games, and everybody could see that, was the spirit, especially if we came from behind.

"I think today was something like three goals in eight minutes. Being 1-0 behind after 80 minutes against the team bottom of the league, for pressure, it is not easy.

"To still turn it around, as a footballer you know it isn't easy, so I am really happy that we did it. Obviously we know that we have to improve, but the three points are the most important."

United gradually improved in the second half, particularly after the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee. De Ligt felt his fellow countryman, Antony and Toby Collyer had big impacts.

"Obviously it is easy to speak about the defence, but I think as a team in general we were fighting for every ball and defending," added the Dutchman. "Also the subs that came in, big compliments to them.

"They energy and intensity they gave... Antony, Toby Collyer, Josh, how he was holding up the ball, that was amazing to see. It is so important for us players to get that help as defenders, as you saw today that they have some good players in the front.

"I think in the end we felt also saw more confidence to press a little bit higher and risk a little bit more and we scored three goals."