‘We were struggling’ - Ruben Amorim proud of Man Utd display v Newcastle United amid injury concern
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Newcastle United latest news: Eddie Howe’s side once again tasted defeat on the road in the Premier League, this time at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim has admitted that his Manchester United team were simply trying to ‘survive’ in the second half after being put under immense pressure by Newcastle United.
The Red Devils nudged themselves ahead on the scoreboard as Patrick Dorgu’s wicked volley snuck past Aaron Ramsdale. That goal would, ultimately, prove to be enough for all three points for the hosts, although they had to defend well to ensure they kept hold of the points.
Whilst Newcastle United dominated the ball for much of the second period, they were again unable to break down a resilient defensive lineup and left Old Trafford again having suffered defeat on the road in the Premier League. The Magpies have won just six points from a possible 27 away from home in the league and only basement side Wolves have less away wins this season than Eddie Howe’s side.
Ruben Amorim’s honest Newcastle United assessment
Defeat at Old Trafford is not an unfamiliar feeling for Newcastle United, but being so dominant with the ball and putting the Red Devils under sustained pressure is not something that too many Magpies teams have done throughout the years. Their bluntness up-front, though, won’t have surprised too many who have watched them play away from home this season.
For Amorim, though, his decision to move away from his usual 3-4-3 system paid dividends, especially after they reverted back to a five at the back formation towards the end of the match to repel Newcastle United’s attacks. Speaking post-match, Amorim praised his side for their resilience, particularly after losing Mason Mount to injury at half-time: “It's that the opponent pushes, and then sometimes we adapt to our wingers.
“We're playing like a full-back in certain moments, but I remember the first game against Arsenal, sometimes they were in the back six, with Saka and the wingers defending.
“So, sometimes you need to adapt, and there is no tactic in that moment. We were just trying to compensate each other.
“It was not the idea, but you can understand, to look at the context of the team, when you have to take Mason [Mount] off, it's hard. We were struggling a lot, and we put two wing-backs helping the full-backs. So, we were just trying to survive in the second half.”
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As mentioned, the Magpies left Old Trafford having dominated the ball with 66.4% in total. They were, as the familiar tale goes, unable to convert that possession into goals
“The feeling is good, but if you compare to other games, we suffer so much more today. But in certain moments, we put everything on the line,” Amorim added.
“We were inside the box, but we are putting our body in front of the goal. We were defending every cross. We are trying to push out of the box when the ball went back.
“So, that is a good feeling to have, a clean sheet. But if you look at the game, we had so many games that we controlled so much better the opponent. We suffered more, sometimes you just need a little bit luck.”