Manchester United may still be in crisis, but the 1-1 draw against Arsenal was a ray of hope. The fans at Old Trafford also honored the performance of their team, and coach Ruben Amorim was pleased with the winning mentality of his players.
Manchester United have only won one of their last six competitive matches and continue to languish in the lower mid-table of the Premier League (14th place). Nevertheless, Sunday evening’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal was a step in the right direction, as the Red Devils came close to beating the second-placed team.
“We had more chances. But in the end we missed the last chance of the game. That would have been fantastic. It’s a good point, but we deserved the three points,” said United coach Ruben Amorim after the game on Sky. By the last chance, he was referring to a shot from Bruno Fernandes in the third minute of stoppage time. But not only this opportunity, but also a few more were thwarted by the strong Arsenal keeper David Raya.
In the end, both teams were very close with 1.65:1.61 in expected goals, but Manchester still had more chances because there were also several promising situations that were thwarted at the last second by Arsenal defenders. For example, Declan Rice made an outstanding tackle to stop Rasmus Höjlund in the 85th minute.
Amorim: “It doesn’t matter what the context is, we have to win at home”
Despite the missed chances, Amorim was proud of his team’s performance: “We understood what we had to do to win this game. In the future, we will of course play differently, but today we only focused on winning – no matter what.” In the first half, the home team had defended very deep and only looked to counterattack. The lead at half-time was therefore rather fortunate. But the approach changed in the second half and Amorim was pleased with his players’ winning mentality.
“I really enjoy the fact that the players really want to win the game and aren’t looking at the situation. It doesn’t matter what the context is, we have to win at home. That’s a good thing in the team.” The attitude of the United professionals has also been well received by the fans. In the second half, Bruno Fernandes and Co. played with open visors at times, giving the fans a real spectacle – exactly what they want to see at Old Trafford.
United coach overwhelmed by fan support
That’s why the crowd was satisfied with the team and the coach after the game. Amorim is overwhelmed by this support: “I never expected to receive this support, even with all the problems we have. The way they support the club and me is incredible.” Due to the mixed performances that Manchester United have shown since Amorim took office in November, the coach is sometimes almost a little embarrassed by this unconditional support.
But he knows what matters to the United supporters: “They just want to see the team fight and we fight. We’ve really shown character in the last few games. That’s all you need to get these fans behind you.”
