Amorim rejects 'naivety' call as he claims long-term Man Utd goal is Premier League title
"Maybe it's not with me, but our goal as a club, the board is winning the Premier League," said Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim after his side's FA Cup defeat to Fulham. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
RUBEN Amorim and Manchester United’s miserable season continued at Old Trafford as the FA Cup holders exited the competition in desultory fashion, after Bernd Leno made penalty shoot-out saves that denied Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee.
Goals from Calvin Bassey and Bruno Fernandes had left the fifth round tie all square after the 90 minutes, and additional 30.
But a disappointing contest made way for the drama of spot kicks. With the score tied at 3-3, Lindelof, who was making just his second appearance of the year after a lengthy spell injured, saw his effort well saved.
And, after Antonee Robinson had made it 4-3 to Fulham, a poor effort from Zirkzee was also kept out - leaving Amorim to bizarrely talk about his long-term target of winning the Premier League, a statement which had club legend Wayne Rooney accusing him of “naivety.”
“That is the goal. Being naive is to think that we are going to do this season or are going to be the best contender for the next season,” said Amorim.
“So I know that in this moment everybody knows everything. So I know that and this is really easy. I was a pundit when I finished my career. I know it's really easy.
“Our goal is to win the Premier League. Maybe it's not with me, but our goal as a club, the board is winning the Premier League, like we did in the past, with all the great glories, the legends of this club.
“And we want to do better and we know that we are in a difficult moment and I am not naive. That's why I am here coaching Manchester United at 40 years old.”
For winning manager Marco Silva, the victory means a quarter-final tie at home to Crystal Palace and, finally, his Old Trafford revenge. Two years ago, Silva and Fulham were involved in a stormy quarter-final tie at Old Trafford, with the manager and two of his players sent off as United turned around a one-goal deficit to win 3-1.
It was a defeat that still rankles with the Portuguese coach, who has been desperate to improve his club’s terrible record in domestic cups - the 1975 FA Cup Final defeat to West Ham the only one in their history.
But it was an impressive scalp two years on, in a win started when a drab first half was entering its final few seconds of added time and Fernandes conceded a disputed corner Fulham made count as Andreas Pereira’s excellent delivery picked out Rodrigo Munoz who glanced towards the far post and Bassey.
With Noussair Mazraoui slow to respond, the Fulham defender connected with a strong, close-range header which Andre Onana could only palm into the corner of his net.
It was another example of terrible defending by the hosts, who have made a habit of conceding from set-pieces this season, while there was little threat in attack from a United side for whom the FA Cup represented the last chance of success in a dispiriting season.
Amorim had dropped Alejandro Garnacho to the bench, after the exciting winger angered his manager by storming down the tunnel after being substituted in the midweek win over Ipswich and his introduction early in the second half at least added some verve to United’s attack.
He was soon involved in a move which ended with Diogo Dalot crossing for Mazraoui whose meek header bounced before being easily scooped up by Leno and Fernandes produced a better effort, just after the hour, from 25 yards although, again, Leno made a fairly routine stop as he dived to his left.
Instead, the anxiety around Old Trafford increased when Fulham substitute Emile Smith Rowe almost scored a second, with a fierce low shot from the edge of the area, which Onana just about kept out at the foot of his post.
Amorim replaced the ineffective Rasmus Hojlund, without a goal in his last 18 games, in favour of youngster Chido Obi and, within minutes, Fernandes had claimed a 71st minute equaliser.
Dalot ended a left wing run by picking out his team mate, who had found a pocket of space just inside the area and swivelled to punish Fulham with a superb shot into the bottom corner.
Smith Rowe threatened again, deep in time added to the 90, with a low shot which Onana turned away efficiently before the tie headed towards extra time. And with virtually the last kick, Leno saved well to keep out a Garnacho shot after he was sent clear by Joshua Zirkzee.
In the second period of extra-time, subs Obi and Ryan Sessegnon came close, drawing good saves from the respective keepers, before the drama of the shoot-out.
“Our players are serious about the FA Cup,” said Silva.
“They prepared themselves against Watford and Wigan and, today, against United and, now, the next game at home against Palace will be very difficult but we want to get to the semi-finals.”
Onana 6; de Ligt 7, Maguire 7 (Heaven 90, 5), Yoro 6 (Lindelof 53, 5); Mazraoui 5, Ugarte 7 (Garnacho 53, 7), Fernandes 8, Dalot 6; Zirkzee 7, Eriksen 5 (Casemiro 68, 6); Hojlund 5 (Obi 68, 5).
Leno 7; Castagne 6, Andersen 5, Bassey 8, Robinson 6; Lukic 6 (Reed 100, 5), Berge 6; Traore 6 (Smith Rowe 52, 6), Pereira 6 (Willian 90, 5), Iwobi 7 (Sessegnon 107, 5); Muniz 6 (Jimenez 90, 5).
S Attwell 6
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