Manchester United finally secured their first Premier League win of the season with a narrow 3-2 victory over newly promoted Burnley at Old Trafford, but manager Ruben Amorim’s subdued reaction spoke volumes about the pressure he is under.
When referee Sam Barrott blew the final whistle, Amorim showed no great celebration.
He shook hands with Burnley manager Scott Parker, embraced Joshua Zirkzee, and walked alone down the sideline, clapping at fans as Manchester, but without any fist pumps or loud roars of triumph. It was a walk of relief rather than joy.
The United boss had spoken candidly during Friday’s pre-match press conference about the emotional rollercoaster of managing the club, particularly after the shock Carabao Cup exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town.
“Sometimes I love my players, sometimes I hate my players,” Amorim admitted ahead of the game.
After watching his team twice squander a lead against Burnley before Bruno Fernandes’ 97th-minute penalty, awarded via VAR by Stuart Attwell, Amorim likely experienced both extremes of emotion in the space of 90 minutes.
Relief More Than Joy for Manchester United and Amorim
Amorim looked every bit of it during a tense afternoon at Old Trafford. However, the Portuguese tactician insisted post-match that the priority was getting points on the board.
“I’m not thinking about a turning point. I had this conversation with you guys like 10 times. [The game] ended well”
I think we deserved to win the game. And then, everything in this moment, every possession near our box, they can score.”
“We are in that moment, so we start always chasing a lot of things. But we deserved to win and we tried until the last minute to score goals.”
“We had our chances and in the end we deserved to win.”
The hard-fought victory may ease the mounting pressure on Amorim, but with Manchester City and Chelsea awaiting after the international break, questions remain over his side’s consistency.
Attacking Positives Amid Defensive Worries
United showed attacking intent, registering 26 shots on Burnley’s goal. They could have been out of sight by halftime but for missed chances, including Amad Diallo’s shocking miss after a blistering counterattack from Zirkzee and Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo, who scored his first league goal since joining from Brentford, was a bright spot.
“It was impressive, the way he stretched the team, the quality he has in the first touch.
“You can feel that we are a different team, because when we win the ball, we have one guy stretching the team.”
“Last season we struggled a little bit with that.”
However, defensive frailties persisted. Burnley’s Lyle Foster equalized with a header, exploiting gaps in United’s backline similar to Fulham’s goal last weekend.
Jaidon Anthony then capitalized on poor defending from a Kyle Walker long throw to score Burnley’s second, via a Kobbie Mainoo deflection.
“Effort Always There” – Amorim
Despite defensive issues, Amorim praised his players’ commitment following the Grimsby humiliation.
“When they put in the effort, I will always love my players. Even when Amad is missing that kind of goal,” Amorim said.
“I love Amad, if he’s giving everything. And I think we need to understand that we should have always been on this level of effort.”
“The match is not so perfect and you can feel that the team struggled a little bit, especially in the second half, but the effort was always there.”
“That is the most important thing.”
The narrow victory was only Amorim’s fifth Premier League win at Old Trafford since his appointment last November. Though fans celebrated Fernandes’ late winner, the manager is aware that much more is needed to convince doubters.
In his final answer during the post-match press conference, Amorim summed up the pressure of the job:
“Day by day,” he said, adding that the Burnley result simply bought him “a few more.”
With trips to the Etihad looming, Amorim knows United’s problems remain far from solved despite this much-needed result.
