Manchester United produced their best display under Ruben Amorim at Anfield on Sunday as they battled to secure a 2-2 draw against Liverpool.
It was the Red Devils who took the lead with Lisandro Martinez blasting past Allison before the hosts struck back with two goals of their own before a thrilling finale was set up by Amad who equalised.
Harry Maguire could have won the game late on but it seemed a fair result in the end and showed that the head coach’s methods do work.
United had 47 percent of the ball under the lights on Sunday, while in last season’s 0-0 draw at the same venue, they only saw 30 percent of the ball.
Amorim ball works again
The Old Trafford side had enjoyed 48 percent of possession against Manchester City in the away derby, while against Arsenal at the Emirates, they enjoyed 49 percent of the ball. All statistics which point to a marked improvement with the ball.
In all the big games this season, United have looked much more comfortable keeping the ball and being patient and it is clearly an aspect that the Portuguese tactician wants to see from his side instead of resorting to only counter-attacks.
Intensity has been another clear demand since coming in, and Manuel Ugarte fits the bill perfectly. The sheer amount of ground coverage he managed showed what an engine he has on him and how he was possibly underutilised by the former manager.
United pressed relentlessly through the Uruguayan and it was clear to see how sorely he was missed against Newcastle. The Uruguayan understands the coach’s system having worked with him before at Sporting Lisbon and he works extremely hard off the ball.
But that is not all as the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star is now taking risks with his passing and has the coach’s trust and it showed. What Amorim needs to figure out is who will be his eventual partner in the middle of the park.
The Portuguese will also be pleased with Diogo Dalot’s contribution on the left. He finally took his full-back on and had the beating of Trent Alexander Arnold time and again even though his end product was not always top-notch.
Ugarte, Dalot impressive
A left wingback is the need of the hour as Amorim wants his wingbacks to be well-versed moving forwards, but Dalot showed he has the qualities to flourish till a replacement is found.
Despite the point, the form of Rasmus Hojlund remains a concern and the lack of goals from his strikers is something which will worry Amorim.
Whether INEOS can help with resources remains to be seen. From Amorim’s perspective, he has managed to get a performance from his players in the big games.
The real challenge will be to motivate them for the next league test against Southampton in two weeks’ time as that will be crucial to pick up an elusive win which will help them climb up the table.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
