Manchester United came out on top against Burnley 3-2 courtesy of a last-minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford on Saturday.
This was the Red Devils’ first victory of the new campaign, and it will go a long way in easing the pressure surrounding Ruben Amorim.
United had lost their opener against Arsenal despite a superb performance, while they reverted to type in their 1-1 draw against Fulham last week.
The nadir of the Amorim era truly came against Grimsby Town in midweek as the League Two side knocked out the 20-time English league champions from the EFL Cup in the second round.
United eased the pressure with a win
The pressure has been relentless this past week, and the way the Clarets came back from a goal down twice, there was a feeling that even Saturday would not be United’s day.
But the skipper stepped forward with confidence to dispatch his spot-kick while Bryan Mbeumo scored his second in as many games this week.
The Cameroonian was excellent in the first half and should have had an assist at least, but Amad missed an open goal.
Since his arrival, the ex-Brentford ace has impressed and after the game, he explained how relieved he was after getting his first Premier League goal for United.
“A very important victory and I am happy to have scored my first goal here at Old Trafford with United,” the 26-year-old told after the game.
Delighted with his first goal at Old Trafford
“I’m very happy to score, and we win as well – as a striker, it is important to be confident with goals.”
He also explained that all the players were under pressure to deliver after the recent results, and everybody combined well as a team to pull off the win under difficult circumstances.
The victor will give the team a boost heading into the international break, ahead of huge games against Manchester City and Chelsea.
“It’s really tough. Everyone expects a lot from us. It’s really important for us to win and head into the international break with a bit of relief.
“This victory isn’t just for the coach, it’s for the whole team. We want to win as many matches as possible.”
Expectations sky high at United
Bryan Mbeumo must have known there would be added pressure at Old Trafford, and now he’s finding out first-hand how difficult things can get if the team does not win every game.
He marvelled at the way the team stepped up when it mattered.
“It’s a big club, the expectations are high and we need to deal with it. But a great feeling to win here.
“With what happened in the week, we had to react with a win. That’s what we’ve done.”
Feature image Matt McNulty 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
