Manchester United’s struggles with defending set pieces carried on, as they slipped to a devastating loss at the hands of Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.
Bournemouth won 3-0 at United for the second season running to leave United in 13th position in the Premier League table. This is the first time United have spent Christmas in the bottom half of the table since 1989/90.
United conceded from a set piece for the seventh time in the last six games for Bournemouth’s first goal as Dean Huijsen guided home a first-half free-kick.
The Cherries went on to complete the victory through a Justin Kluivert penalty and Antoine Semenyo’s strike in quick succession after the break.
Amorim – who has endured a dismal start to life at Old Trafford after losing four of his first nine games in charge – said he is responsible for United’s set-piece problems.
Lisandro Martinez also admitted that the team’s vulnerabilities in defending set pieces contributed to their defeat against Bournemouth.
The Mirror points out that United have now shipped a staggering 17 set-piece goals of the calendar year, setting a new unwanted record for them in the Premier League era.
Huijsen’s headed finish has statistically made it the worst year for the Red Devils when it comes to defending set pieces in more than 30 years.
When asked about this damning statistic, Amorim remarked [via ESPN], “We are working on that and we are going to improve on that.”
“But we didn’t lose because of set pieces. We lose because we create more chances and we didn’t score and then in this moment everything is against us and they can score.”
“Like against Tottenham, we create chances also. It’s a difficult moment.”
During warm-ups before matches, United have been regularly spotted lining up and defending set pieces but their efforts currently don’t seem to be bearing fruit.
United are back in action on Boxing Day when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium.
Featured image Nathan Stirk via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
