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Ruben Amorim was not happy with Manchester United’s performance after forcing a 2-1 comeback win over Leicester City at Old Trafford.
Manchester United made hard work of their FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester City.
In the first half, United’s midfield was caught chasing shadows as the game bypassed Manuel Ugarte while Kobbie Mainoo looked short on confidence. It didn’t help that Bruno Fernandes was quieter than usual.
The visitors, who are sat in the Premier League relegation zone, scored the opening goal through Bobby Decordova-Reid after some suspect defending.
However, United increased the tempo in the second half and Ruben Amorim made the right substitutions as Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee turned the game on its head.
Zirkzee scored the equaliser and Fernandes provided a brilliant assist for Harry Maguire in stoppage time.
Although United’s second goal appeared offside, it was enough to secure United’s place in the FA Cup fifth round.
Ruben Amorim slams Manchester United performance
United were abysmal again tonight and didn’t wake up until the second half began.
It’s becoming a worrying trend that United start games slowly. They also paid the price for that but eventually got over the line against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side.
The United head coach gave an honest assessment after the match.
“We have to believe it until the end, but this time has nothing to do with the time of Fergie,” Amorim told ITV.
“I think the performance…we have to do so much better with the ball, without the ball. We didn’t have any energy in the beginning, especially in the first half.
“Then in the second half, we played a little bit better, with a little bit more speed, winning second balls and then we managed to turn things around.
“It was a good result, not a good performance.
“I cannot focus just on saving the season or the momentum with a cup. It’s not the way I see football, it’s not the way I see Manchester United.
“I’m not thinking about the end of the season because the final is at the end of the season. I don’t care about that, I care about the moment and the moment is not good enough.
“A good result. We move forward to the next stage. We have a week to prepare, but today was not a good day.”
Amorim’s substitutions changed the game
Just like they did in Bucharest last week, Amorim’s substitutes changed the game for the better against Leicester City.
Garnacho shone from the left flank and Zirkzee offered a presence up front.
It doesn’t bode well for Rasmus Hojlund that Zirkzee can come off the bench and instantly have a greater impact on the game.
Zirkzee will be knocking on Amorim’s door for more starts if he can keep scoring important goals from the bench.
