Friday football briefing Diallo hat trick Brighton victory and new MOTD hosts

Manchester United left it late to see off strugglers Southampton 3-1 as Amad Diallo struck a late hat-trick in a dramatic finish to Thursday night’s Premier League action.

There was, though, a less hectic encounter at Portman Road, where Brighton beat Ipswich 2-0 for a first league win since November.

Diallo time keeps United revival on track

United boss Ruben Amorim had hoped to see more progress from his side against basement boys Southampton following on from Sunday’s FA Cup penalty shoot-out win at Arsenal and a battling 2-2 Premier League draw at leaders Liverpool.

It was, though, a first half to forget for the hosts as the Saints finally went in front through an own goal from Manuel Ugarte.

But as time ticked down, Diallo would prove United’s saviour again.

The Ivorian equalised in the 82nd minute and then – in the dying seconds of the 90 minutes – exchanged passes with Christian Eriksen before firing the Red Devils ahead.

Diallo, though, was not done as he capitalised on an error from Taylor Harwood-Bellis to grab a third in stoppage time – and make the headlines once again.

Seagulls the talk of the Town

Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter fired Brighton to their first Premier League win since November as they sank Ipswich 2-0 at Portman Road.

Mitoma scored his fourth goal of the season and Rutter – who was also on target in the FA Cup win at Town’s rivals Norwich on Saturday – hit his third in two matches as Fabian Hurzeler’s side climbed back into the top half of the table

While Brighton ended an eight match winless run in the league, Ipswich find themselves back in the relegation zone, having briefly moved out after Wolves’ heavy defeat at Newcastle on Wednesday night.

The name’s Cates – Kelly Cates

Kelly Cates revealed she found “barefaced lying” to her friends “horrendous” as she tried to keep her appointment as one of three main Match of the Day hosts for next season under wraps.

The 49-year-old’s appointment alongside Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman to share presenting duties of the BBC’s flagship weekend Premier League highlights show and its midweek Champions League package from next season was confirmed on Wednesday.

The news follows confirmation current main host of the Saturday night programme, Gary Lineker, will stand down from the role at the end of the season.

Cates admitted she struggled with the secrecy around her new role – and came to realise she was not cut out for a career in espionage.

“When it was first kind of made official, I was on a call with Alex (Kay-Jelski) who is the head of BBC Sport, and I just kept saying to him, ‘I’m so excited, I’m so excited!’” Cates said as she spoke to Chapman about the news as the pair co-hosted a new Sports Agents podcast released on Thursday afternoon.

“And then I realised that he had me on speaker, and several really quite important people were listening to me sounding like a 13-year-old.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with sounding like a 13-year-old – I’ve got one of my own! But it didn’t feel like the most professional or mature way to deal with it.”

Cates added: “I have learned about myself that I could never have a second life, this time. I could never be for example, a spy.

“I’ve just been barefaced lying to friends, it’s been horrendous.”

What’s on today?

Another round of Premier League fixtures follows swiftly on from the midweek action, with several managers set to face the media in their pre-match press briefings on Friday.

First up in the morning are Eddie Howe and Arne Slot – with Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Enzo Maresca, Ange Postecoglou, Nuno Espirito Santo and new Everton boss David Moyes among those on a packed afternoon schedule.

Friday night’s live action in the Sky Bet Championship sees promotion rivals Burnley and Sunderland clash at Turf Moor, while in the Women’s Super League, Liverpool host Brighton.

Published: 17/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub

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