Amorim refuses to be positive as impressive United secure draw at Liverpool

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester United

Rúben Amorim gave an intriguing interview after his Manchester United side defied expectations by earning a well-deserved draw against Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.

Many had anticipated 14th-place United would struggle away against their in-form rivals on Sunday afternoon, but United produced arguably their best all-round performance under Amorim, who refused to offer up much praise to his inconsistent side after the match.

After an evenly-contested goalless first half, United took the lead early in the second period when captain Bruno Fernandes’ clever throughball released Lisandro Martinez, with the Argentine firing into the roof of the net from an acute angle on 52 minutes. United’s joy was short-lived, as Liverpool hit back through Cody Gakpo (59’) before Mohamed Salah’s penalty (70’) gave them the edge after Matthijs de Ligt had been penalised for handball.

A defeat would have been harsh on United, who played with confidence, quality and commitment, defying their recent showings. Much of United’s best work came down the left flank, with Diogo Dalot a constant threat, and ten minutes before the end of normal time substitute Alejandro Garnacho broke down the fruitful channel and pulled the ball back for Amad Diallo to restore parity.

United were widely praised for their performance throughout the English media, while Portuguese duo Dalot and Fernandes were particularly impressive. Dalot, who has suffered a drop-off in form this season, provided tremendous energy and positivity from his left wing-back role. Fernandes, meanwhile, gave a measured and mature demonstration of his talents on his return from suspension.

Despite the positivity, United boss Rúben Amorim was stern during his post-match interview, refusing to afford excessive praise to his team regardless of their achievement in upsetting the odds. Speaking to Sky Sports, Amorim admitted he was frustrated to watch his side compete with the best team in the country having come into the match off the back of four straight defeats.

“A big step in the right direction? Yes, because the expectations were so much different to what we saw in the game,” said the former Sporting boss. “I think I get more mad because of the other games, so it’s even harder to understand some things. This is not about the system, it’s not about the technique. It’s about something else. It’s hard to understand even for the coach.

“I think they deserved the point, but it’s just one point and I think we should get mad and disappointed. More than the [losses] against Newcastle, Bournemouth or Nottingham, today we need to be disappointed. Have I said that to the players? No, because I need to calm down and say the right things. We are in a difficult moment, but it’s hard not to get really mad.”

Watch Amorim’s extraordinary interview in full:

Rúben Amorim Post-Match Interview on Skysport ???? pic.twitter.com/bVE4iICZbK

— 曼联球迷 (@_Utdbaki) January 5, 2025

Finally I did a proper performance - Bruno

Player of the Match Bruno Fernandes had already spoken to the media and transmitted a similar message, telling Sky Sports: “We have been criticised and fairly, because the position in the table says it all. We’ve lost too many points. Even today we can’t be happy with the draw because we need points more than they need, to be honest.

“We can’t be satisfied. I’m pretty upset because if we show this today at Anfield against Liverpool who are 1st in the league, the outstanding team in the Premier League this season, why can’t we do this every week? It frustrates me firstly, because finally I did a proper performance overall. We need much more from ourselves to get something from this season. We need to get some pride because this isn’t enough. I wasn’t worried about everyone putting in effort today because it’s Liverpool. I will probably be more worried about Southampton after this performance that everyone thinks is good enough.”

Before United host Southampton at Old Trafford in the Premier League, in which they moved up one place to 13th, the Red Devils’ defence of the FA Cup begins next weekend with a tough trip to the capital to meet Arsenal.

By @SeanGillen9