Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has insisted the quality of some of his players is to blame for the team’s goalscoring woes and consequently, the FA Cup defeat at the hands of Fulham on Sunday.
United were beaten on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of play.
Calvin Bassey broke the deadlock moments before the break, heading home from close range after peeling away from his marker.
The Red Devils drew level midway through the second half through Bruno Fernandes, who produced an excellent finish from 16 yards out.
The hosts had several chances to take the lead, with Alejandro Garnacho missing two very good goalscoring opportunities. Chido Obi – who was excellent when he came on – also nearly got on the score sheet but his shot was saved by Bernd Leno.
The tie was ultimately settled by a penalty shootout, with Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missing from the spot-kick as the Cottagers progressed to the quarter-finals, where they will face Crystal Palace.
After the final whistle, Amorim spoke to BBC and gave his verdict on the result. He also outlined what’s next for the club after this latest setback.
“We managed to score in the second half after that goal near half-time. It’s harder for us to go and press a little bit high but we managed to do it and score.”
“I think we have the best chances in the game. In the end, the penalties can go both ways and today wasn’t our way.”
“It is important to say that with the substitutions we had our chance to win the game.”
Asked why United are not converting their chances, Amorim answered, “I think we are better in the first ball than the second ball. I think it is also sometimes the quality of the players. Bruno, Casemiro, and Josh [Zirkzee] are improving a lot.”
The United head coach said about the penalty shootout, “I try to relax the players and they know that it is something that is technical but you have to be relaxed and confident.”
“The goal is to win the Premier League. I know that we are losing games but the goal is to win the Premier League again. I don’t know how long it will take.”
“We have a goal and we continue forward no matter what. it’s impossible to know but you start understanding the players are better and we understand the league. We’ll see in the future.”
“It’s really important but we have to recover the players. They were really tired and we have three days and then here at Old Trafford against Arsenal.”
United are back in action on Thursday when they face Real Sociedad in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
Featured image Carl Recine 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!
