Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim took aim at his players for their “unacceptable” 3-1 home loss to Brighton, who he admitted were “comfortable” at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils looked to have turned a corner after a spirited 2-2 draw against league leaders Liverpool earlier this month before late heroics from Amad Diallo helped them beat Southampton 3-1 in midweek, but they were well off the pace against the Seagulls.
United were at sixes and sevens early on in the game as Yankuba Minteh was able to tap-in with ease after Kaoru Mitoma raced clear, before Bruno Fernandes equalised from the spot. Mitoma then made it 2-1 before Georginio Rutter added a third on a sorry afternoon for the club.
The team have now lost 10 matches, the quickest they have reached double figures for defeats since the 1989-90 season, with United now 13th in the Premier League table and closer to the bottom three than the top four.
Amorim was fuming after the game, suggesting his players had repeated mistakes from previous games by “suffering goals where we cannot suffer”.
“Another loss at home. It’s not acceptable, the way we suffered the goals,” he said. “We can play some football but [only] in small spaces of time, so it’s not consistent and we get nervous and then we suffer a goal. Again, in the beginning, it’s one play that is clearly what Brighton do. Then it’s really hard to turn things around. We get really anxious, really nervous and they were better again.”
“Brighton were comfortable. We tried [to get back into it] but with not very good football. You can see this game and remember Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, where we were in the game and suffer goals where we cannot suffer. Then it’s really hard for everybody. We lost again at home, it’s not acceptable. We need to change that and change fast.”
United’s loss was compounded by a woeful mistake by goalkeeper Andre Onana, who came out to collect a low cross before fumbling it and allowing Rutter an easy tap-in into an open goal.
Amorim did not attempt to defend the Cameroonian keeper, and while he did not linger for too long on his error, he insisted the team could not afford to end a match in that manner.
“I think you felt it in the stadium. But we cannot end the game like that. Everybody out of position, so we have to end the game in a different way. No matter the result, we have to be a different team in all aspects.”
Amorim gave an eye-opening response when asked if United’s struggles would continue as he admitted the team would “suffer” as they adapt to his methods.
“That is clear,” he said. “Because I’m not going to change the way I see the game. I’m very clear on that. The players are going to suffer, I’m sorry, the fans are going to suffer. I have one way of doing things, I know it’s going to [bring] results. But we have to suffer these moments. I think it’s very clear for everybody what we are going to do.”
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