Amad scored an excellent late winner within the Manchester derby shortly after incomes the penalty that had put Ruben Amorim’s staff degree as Manchester Metropolis crumbled within the closing levels on the Etihad Stadium.
The principle story earlier than the sport was Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho being not noted of the United squad, with United head coach Amorim saying he made the choice after evaluating “the whole lot”.
Of their absence, United fell behind when Josko Gvardiol headed in from a brief nook within the thirty sixth minute, worsening United’s terrible document for set-piece objectives conceded this season.
Bruno Fernandes had an excellent probability to equalise within the second half when he clipped a shot huge, but it surely was Amad who intercepted a poor Matheus Nunes backpass and drew a foul from the identical participant, with Fernandes scoring the penalty.
And 54 seconds after the restart, Amad collected a via ball, lobbed it over Ederson after which steered it into the objective from a decent angle to win it. In accordance with Opta, it was the newest right into a sport that the reigning Premier League champions had led and misplaced. Metropolis have now received simply one in all their final 11 video games.
88 – Manchester Metropolis had been main till the 88th minute in opposition to Manchester United, however ended up dropping 2-1 – the newest right into a sport {that a} reigning champion has led within the Premier League and misplaced. Astonishing. pic.twitter.com/9vwTcocgLw
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 15, 2024
Right here Carl Anka, Mark Critchley and Mark Carey analyse the important thing speaking factors.
How did Amad do this?
“I simply need to enhance the staff so I can not deal with it like a standard derby,” mentioned Amorim on Thursday night. It was a pre-match press convention that noticed the top coach attempt to downplay the normal emotional narratives that go right into a sport. Neither Metropolis or United are on an upward ascent for the time being, so bragging rights fell behind “incomes three factors” within the hierarchy of wants.
Nonetheless, Sunday’s journey to the Eithad could have made clear many issues that Amorim has already made good assessments on. His staff will doubtless should “undergo” within the immediacy, with some gamers higher suited to the “concept” he’s making an attempt to speak to this squad, in comparison with others. Amad as soon as once more appeared to be United’s most harmful attacker however ran offside thrice within the first half.
His eagerness to vogue probabilities in a staff missing creators noticed him set off a fraction too early in essential moments. But the 22-year-old’s bravery the place many others had been timid ultimately paid off. His driving runs are illustrated in his participant dashboard beneath.
It was Amad who sensed Kyle Walker’s backpass to Ederson was slack and wouldn’t make its meant goal. It was Amad who rounded the Metropolis goalkeeper to open up a goalscoring alternative. It was Amad who opted to pause, and look ahead to Matheus Nunes to foul him. And Amad who received the penalty.
Fernandes transformed and it seemed to finish 1-1.
However there was Amad once more. Latching onto a hopeful go from Lisandro Martinez within the ninetieth minute earlier than tipping it over Ederson and into the far publish.
Amad lobs the ball over Ederson
Amorim’s first derby could have taught him — once more — that his staff’s physicality must be labored on. He could have understood — once more — that there’s a lot to enhance on with set items.
And finishes from a decent angle
However he could have additionally discovered that, in a derby, a few of these gamers can discover one other degree. Amad’s genius sure, but additionally Harry Maguire battling as the center centre-back. Manuel Ugarte breaking apart play, and extra.
The street is lengthy, however many United gamers are keen to stroll and run it.
Carl Anka
The place did Nunes go incorrect?
With a protracted line outdoors the therapy room and people match sufficient to play fatigued, Metropolis discover themselves ready the place they should do issues in a different way. See: Matheus Nunes at left-back.
Pep Guardiola didn’t have a lot different possibility — except he fancied a change of system or dropping teen Jahmai Simpson-Pusey right into a Manchester derby.
And in equity, Nunes initially acquitted himself adequately sufficient, as he has when enjoying additional up the left flank in latest weeks.
However lapses have pockmarked the 26-year-old’s Etihad profession to this point and that profession could be outlined by the 2 errors that led to United’s equaliser from the penalty spot.
The backpass to play Amad via on objective might be thought of an unlucky error — however to cost again and slice via the United winger and concede a spot kick was merely reckless within the excessive.
Nunes and the foul that modified the sport (Carl Recine/Getty Pictures)
Nunes collapsed to the turf, barely having the ability to carry his head from the bottom, and Metropolis subsequently collapsed to defeat.
Mark Critchley
What’s Man United’s set-piece drawback?
Two objectives conceded in opposition to Arsenal. One in opposition to Nottingham Forest, and one other conceded to Manchester Metropolis. Manchester United have picked up a regarding weak spot on corners this season.
United have the second-worst defensive document on set items on this season’s Premier League. Eight of United’s 19 objectives conceded have been from set-piece conditions — at 42 per cent, that’s the highest within the league. Conceding 6.8 objectives per 100 corners is the second-highest price behind Wolves, who’re nineteenth and sacked head coach Gary O’Neil as we speak.
Amorim’s facet seem to have tweaked their teaching strategy to lifeless balls, with new assistant Carlos Fernandes taking on set-piece duties from Andreas Georgson however the frailties stay. The staff look like defending in a hybrid fashion, the place the vast majority of gamers mark zonally, and a handful are tasked with man-marking duties.
As long as a United participant will get first contact on the preliminary cross, they’ll defend the set piece effectively sufficient. But when they’re confronted with a staff that opts for a layered strategy to their attacking play, issues can get sophisticated.
Metropolis’s opening objective got here from a brief corner-kick routine the place Ilkay Gundogan ventured over from the sting of the field to take a contact and tee it up for Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian’s cross may need taken a contact from oncoming United defenders, but it surely nonetheless managed to loop in direction of the again publish the place it was headed in by Josko Gvardiol.
It was a simple objective to concede. United had been too sluggish to shut down Metropolis when the nook was taken quick, and never aggressive sufficient to cease Gvardiol within the air. It was a objective that spoke to one thing Amorim introduced up earlier within the week, earlier than dealing with FC Viktoria Plzen.
“Now we have to be superb in second phases,” mentioned the United head coach on Wednesday. “Reminiscent of after crosses, the following cross we have now to enhance on. Now we have to enhance on these particulars. Now we have to be so a lot better in set items and we have now to win it.”
The saying says the satan is within the particulars. United haven’t fairly mastered their new routines but.
Carl Anka and Mark Carey
How vital are Gvardiol’s objectives?
Within the season earlier than Erling Haaland’s arrival, seven Metropolis gamers hit double figures in all competitions. Since then, solely two have scored 10 or extra objectives in a marketing campaign: Phil Foden twice, Julian Alvarez as soon as.
Repurposing a staff of false nines to serve the very best centre-forward of his technology has had its advantages and its side-effects, making Guardiola’s facet look blunt in these occasional spells when Haaland struggles for objectives.
Step ahead Josko Gvardiol. This derby’s breakthrough was his fourth of the season, shifting him clear behind Haaland as Metropolis’s top-scorer. No defender has scored extra Premier League objectives (eight) in 2024.
Gvardiol has change into a semi-reliable objective supply, not solely aerially like as we speak or at Bournemouth, but additionally with deft finishes and screamers like at Newcastle and Wolves respectively.
OK, so 4 objectives is hardly a glut and Metropolis want others to begin chipping in too, however at occasions when Metropolis look bereft of concepts to interrupt down opponents, Gvardiol is more and more changing into the plan B.
Mark Critchley
It’s a sight that no soccer fan likes to see, regardless of your allegiance.
Manchester United’s Mason Mount fell to Etihad turf after simply 12 minutes in what was solely his ninth league begin because the starting of final season.
It was clear that he was unable to hold on minutes earlier than his substitution, after signalling to Amorim that he wanted to come back off. It’s yet one more blow for the 25-year-old after calf and hamstring accidents have plagued him since his transfer from Chelsea.
Mount was consoled by team-mates Fernandes, Martinez and Amad — even partaking in a brief alternate with worldwide team-mate Phil Foden — earlier than rallying these round him as he trudged off.
It’s a merciless final result for Mount, particularly given his return to health underneath new supervisor Amorim and a formidable 30-minute show within the Europa League in opposition to Viktoria Plzen on Thursday evening.
Previous to Sunday’s sport, Mount had not managed to play greater than 20 per cent of the obtainable home minutes in a Manchester United shirt. It’s important to return to the 2020-21 season when he final performed greater than 75 per cent of the potential video games within the Premier League.
A totally match Mount affords a lot to his staff out and in of possession. His clever positioning and relentless operating are infectious to team-mates, with Mount usually considered as a supervisor’s dream in his skill to execute the tactical directions laid out to him.
Beginning because the left-sided No 10 on Sunday afternoon, Mount would have hoped to have punished Manchester Metropolis with neat interaction alongside left wing-back Diogo Dalot, making underlapping runs that gave the impression to be a key a part of Amorim’s early coaching session as Mount was nearing full health.
It’s too early for a prognosis, however Mount might do with a dollop of luck in hoping that his harm just isn’t too severe.
Mark Carey
How ‘embarrassing’ was Hojlund vs Walker?
Shortly after Manchester Metropolis took the lead, Kyle Walker was mendacity on the bottom and there was a scrum of gamers round him. Walker was holding his face and because the officers waited on a VAR verify, there was a way Rasmus Hojlund might be in bother after squaring as much as the Metropolis defender.
A melee ensues after Walker falls to the bottom (Michael Regan/Getty Pictures)
What the replays confirmed although was that each gamers put their foreheads collectively, and whereas Hojlund leaned ahead barely it didn’t represent violent conduct and definitely didn’t seem to have generated sufficient pressure to ship Walker to the ground.
“Walker have to be embarrassed,” former United captain Roy Keane mentioned on Sky Sports activities.
Hojlund and Walker butt heads (Dave Howarth – CameraSport by way of Getty Pictures)
Referee Taylor’s choice was to ebook each gamers.
Within the second half, it was Hojlund who went down, this time underneath a problem from Ruben Dias, with Taylor not awarding a penalty and the VAR deciding it was “regular contact”.
The United striker was decided to have the final giggle, posting a photograph of his conflict with Walker on Instagram (second picture beneath) after the sport.
What did Pep Guardiola say?
“I’m the boss, I’m the supervisor and I’m not adequate. it’s so simple as that. I would like to speak to them about the best way we have now to play and press and construct up and I’m not adequate. It’s at all times the identical drawback you’ll be able to repair, but it surely’s not. Matheus made an unbelievable effort enjoying left again actually good with and with out the ball but it surely’s occurred, it’s soccer and we transfer ahead.”
What did Ruben Amorim say?
“I believe we deserved it. It was a really robust match however we consider till the top. We managed to attain, we wanted that win, it was vital for us and for our followers. We had been within the sport for 90 minutes and that is excellent. We discuss concerning the Arsenal sport, we performed effectively within the first half, however they weren’t believing that we might win.
“As we speak was a lot extra totally different. I additionally consider. Then we have now Fergie time and we put the issues collectively and one thing magic occurred. It was an excellent day for us.”
On leaving Rashford and Garnacho out of the squad: “For me it’s vital; the efficiency in coaching, the efficiency in video games, the best way you gown, the best way you eat, the best way you interact along with your team-mates, the best way you push your team-mates.
“All the pieces is vital. In our context, at first of one thing, after we need to change loads of issues, when folks in our golf equipment are dropping their jobs, we have now to make the requirements actually excessive.
“As we speak the staff proved we will depart anybody out of the squad and handle to win in the event you play collectively.”
What subsequent for Metropolis?
Saturday, December 21: Aston Villa (A), Premier League, 12.30pm GMT, 7.30am ET
What subsequent for United?
Thursday, December 19: Tottenham (A), Carabao Cup quarter-final, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET
Advisable studying
(High picture: by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Pictures)
