Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted his side were punished for defensive lapses and wastefulness in attack after a bruising 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
United struggled to cope with City’s relentless pressure as Phil Foden opened the scoring with a header, before Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half to seal a comfortable win for Pep Guardiola’s men.
“We Conceded Avoidable Goals” – Amorim
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, Amorim said the scoreline reflected United’s failure to stay sharp in crucial moments.
“If you look at the goals, we can avoid those goals. That was the biggest difference. We can do better, especially the second goal. We suffered goals we can avoid.”
He added that while his players created opportunities in transition, their inability to convert them made the difference.
“The biggest difference was when we had transitions, we didn’t score. In the second half they did better in transition and we suffered in that moment.”
“We Need to Be Perfect in These Games”
Amorim admitted his team lacked quality in decisive phases, especially for City’s third goal.
“The third goal was a lack of quality in the connection – people didn’t know who was going to the ball and then the guy is free to score. The first one, he is in the middle of four guys and we can be aggressive in that moment.”
Frustrated, the Portuguese tactician stressed the need for ruthlessness against elite opposition.
“In these kinds of games, we need to be perfect and in this game we were not perfect. The frustration is always the same because with the amount of chances we need to score goals. We need to work on a lot of things for the next game.”
