Could Manchester United’s late win over Man City kickstart Ruben Amorim’s tenure? | OneFootball

Manchester United beat bitter rivals Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday, with a last minute winner from Amad sealing the win and sending the red side of Manchester into a frenzy.

Ruben Amorim hasn’t had the easiest start to his time in charge at United, and will be hoping this result can help his team to now push on.

Before yesterday’s result, Amorim had won three out of his first six games in charge in all competitions. The Red Devils had dropped points against Ipswich, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

And for a long time in the game against City, it looked like United were about to drop more points. Josko Gvardiol scored from a corner in the 36th minute, extending United’s awful set piece defending record, and Amorim’s men were unable to come up with much of a response. United have now conceded eight league goals from set pieces, which is 42% of their total goals conceded, by far the highest percentage of any team in the league.

The game changed when Matheus Nunes lost his head in the 88th minute and gave away a completely needless penalty. Bruno Fernandes slotted away, and almost instantly after, Amad beautifully took down a lovely ball from Lisandro Martinez and slotted past Ederson to wrap up a vital win for his team.

There aren’t a lot of things better for a new manager than a win over local rivals who they haven’t beaten in the Premier League since January 2023, and haven’t beaten at The Etihad in the league in over three years.

The game itself was a tough watch that seriously lacked quality, but on the balance of play and the stats, United probably deserved their win. They had an XG of 2.08 compared to City’s 0.95. City were playing a very strong team, but even players like Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland really struggled.

What next for United?

United’s next game is a crucial Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham. The game has a lot riding on it for both teams. For United, they have struggled in the Europa League and it is stacked full of top-quality teams, meaning it will not be easy to win.

They face Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup, also a very difficult challenge. So the Carabao Cup may be their best chance of silverware this season. And with top four already looking increasingly unlikely, a defeat against Tottenham could signal the end of the United’s season in many ways.

United didn’t play well against City, and a lot of their long-standing problems were evident for all to see. Add to that the off-field issues with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, and it is too simple to say this result could kickstart Amorim’s tenure. He still has a lot of work to do.