Amorim pleads for calm amid swelling United optimism
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Sunday December 1, 2024.
THE Ruben Amorim era ended its first week with two goals each from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, a biggest league win in over three years, and Manchester United supporters finally daring to believe that their future is bright.
In fact, given events of recent months, and most of the nearly dozen years since Alex Ferguson retired, it is hard to remember a period of such unbridled optimism around the famous old club, even if Amorim is correctly pleading for caution.
The win lifted United to within four points of neighbours City, ahead of an intriguing derby next month, although Amorim was appealing for calm as supporters revel in dreams of an unlikely top-four finish - and even ending the campaign above their slumping rivals.
“I understand that but it’s hard for me,” said Amorim. “If I say no, you will say I can’t be a Manchester United coach!
“I want to be honest with our fans so let’s focus on the performance, not the result. In the end, I will be judged by the place we finish, I know that.
“But let’s focus on the next game and look at the performance, let’s rest, recover and think about the next one.”
It was all a marked contrast to United’s laborious football under Erik ten Hag, with young winger Amad Diallo revelling in his wing-back role and creating two goals himself by winning the ball off Everton defenders high up the field.
Even allowing for an appalling defensive display by the visitors, it was an impressive outing on Amorim’s home league 'debut' as United manager, especially given the struggles that had plagued newboy Zirkzee and Rashford under Ten Hag so far this season.
And, after scoring eight goals in nine Premier League games under Ten Hag this season - 12 in 11 when Ruud van Nistelrooy’s two-match interim spell is added - this is very much a new-look United side, barely a fortnight since he first took to the training ground.
Rashford had scored just one league goal under Ten Hag this season. Now, after three goals in two games for Amorim, he is United’s leading scorer.
"A new coach is always like that, but there is so much to improve,” said Amorim. “He can do so much better. He has to continue to improve, he has the ability to do it, he already proved that. But he can play so much better."
Three goals either side of the half-time interval put Amorim on course for his first victory in English football, on his first league game in charge at Old Trafford.
But all were the result of poor defending by Sean Dyche’s team.
On 34 minutes, the results of Amorim’s time on the training ground were evident as Bruno Fernandes’s left-wing corner picked out Rashford unmarked just inside the area.
His well-struck, first-time shot might have been missing the target, or more likely saved by Jordan Pickford, but Jarrad Branthwaite stuck out a boot and diverted past his diving keeper.
If Branthwaite was blameless then, the same could not be said after 41 minutes when he panicked under pressure from Diallo and surrendered the ball to the United wing-back.
His pass freed Fernandes whose low cross was converted by Zirkzee, as he slid in to meet the ball eight yards out.
It was a hugely productive first half for United’s new manager, who has wasted no time in making improvements to a team that looked in disarray so often under former manager Ten Hag.
In his first two games, a draw at Ipswich and midweek Europa League win over Bodo Glimt, United had scored inside the opening minute and, while they failed to do so in the first half here, the second half brought an unbelievable start.
Zirkzee started a lightning United attack and Diallo played in Rashford who took advantage of some poor defensive positioning to force a powerful shot through Pickford and into the net.
More was to come, on 63 minutes, when Diallo again set up a goal, this time pressuring the other Everton centre-half James Tarkowski and stealing away the ball.
The United youngster advanced before picking out Zirkzee’s run and playing in his team-mate to finish confidently from a dozen or so yards.
Andre Onana made an acrobatic dive to block a diving header from substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but United coasted to the finishing line and their biggest league win since beating Leeds 5-1 in August 2021, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Problems are mounting for Dyche, who faces strugglers Wolves at Goodison on Wednesday, ahead of a Merseyside derby against league leaders Liverpool on Saturday.
“It is very difficult when you make such glaring individual mistakes,” said Dyche. "This has to get parked quickly. I don't expect our team to make so many mistakes again.
Onana 6; Mazraoui 7 (Shaw 56, 6), de Ligt 6 (Maguire 56, 6), Martinez 6; Diallo 9, Casemiro 6 (Garnacho 66, 6), Mainoo 7 (Mount 80), Dalot 6; Fernandes 8 (Ugarte 66, 6), Zirkzee 8, Rashford 8.
Bayindir, Hojlund, Malacia, Antony.
Pickford 6; Young 5 (Patterson 73, 5), Tarkowski 4 (O’Brien 82), Branthwaite 4, Mykolenko 5; Doucoure 5, Gueye 6 (Mangala 67, 5); Lindstrom 5 (Harrison 67, 5), McNeil 6, Ndiaye 6; Beto 5 (Calvert-Lewin 67, 5)
Virginia, Begovic, Patterson, Mangala, Coleman, Armstrong.
J Brooks 6
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