“It was the first time…”: United hero explains why derby win felt different with Amorim’s magic working like a charm

Manchester United were trailing by a goal till the 87th minute against bitter rivals Manchester City on Sunday until Amad Diallo turned the game on its head.

He pounced on a mistake from Matheus Nunes to win a penalty, which was expertly dispatched by skipper Bruno Fernandes before he netted the winner himself in the 90th minute to send the away fans into delirium.

Ruben Amorim’s patient possession-based approach paid dividends despite the head coach dropping his two top scorers — Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the matchday squad.

As a result of the Mancunian’s absence, Diogo Dalot was the longest-serving player in the United starting line-up at the Etihad Stadium.

Derby win was different

The Portuguese is no stranger to winning against Pep Guardiola’s side but on Sunday, for the first time since his arrival in Manchester, the Red Devils seemed to be in control against their cross-town rivals.

In the past, the 20-time English league champions have had to rely on the counter-attack to beat Guardiola’s side but not in the latest iteration of the Manchester derby.

“For me, it’s really special. I’ve played here a couple of times since I arrived. It was probably the first time that emotionally we were in control. Even the game, we felt we could win the game at any moment.

“It was the first time, for me personally, that I felt capable of doing that, so that shows some progress. I don’t want to give the cliche conversation all the time that ‘we need time’.

Believe me, I’m here for almost seven years, I’m with the fans on that. We need to win tomorrow and yesterday. But the reality is this is step by step.

“With the new manager, we are doing progress and if you want to analyse like you should analyse, we are taking very good steps toward where we want to go, but it will take time,” the Portugal international was quoted as saying by The Independent.

Since Amorim’s arrival, he has constantly harped on the need for intensity and for players to work together for the collective good. And his ruthlessness was on full display when he took the bold call to drop his two most potent attackers.

‘Work hard and suffer to win’

And that meant the team had to work twice as hard and also had to suffer at times to eventually come up trumps. And the message was received loud and clear by the team as revealed by Dalot.

“I think it’s clear it’s coming from him. The message was clear from the beginning: if you want to succeed and if you want to thrive, you have to suffer. That’s not just in football but in life.

“If you want to have success, you have to work hard and suffer. I think the message is really clear. If you want to succeed at this club, you have to suffer and if you’re ready to do that with us, we’re going to be a good team. If you’re not, there’s no space for you.”

The former Sporting Lisbon boss is changing things at the club for the better. Now for the players to strive for some consistency moving forward.

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