Amorim Reflects on Disappointing Loss to Everton

omidbasir- Gueye was sent off just 13 minutes into the match for raising his hands to teammate Michael Keane’s face in frustration after Casemiro missed a shot, a result of passive defending from Everton. The Toffees, having dominated the early part of the game, took advantage of the red card, taking the lead with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s powerful strike. They managed to defend this lead effectively throughout the second half, despite Manchester United maintaining 75 percent possession.

Amorim expressed his disagreement with the decision to send off Gueye, conceding that Everton fully deserved their victory. This win marked Everton’s first at Old Trafford since 2013, during David Moyes’ tenure at United, and it was Moyes’ first success at Old Trafford against his former club in 18 attempts.

In a press conference, Amorim stated, “I think they were a better team with 11. They then worked really well with 10 men for 70 minutes. So I think we deserved to lose. We didn’t play well. We didn’t play with the right intensity. I am aware of our current standing, and we are not close to where we need to be to compete for the best positions in the league. We have much work ahead of us, and we need to perform flawlessly to secure wins. We were not perfect today.”

Amorim voiced his concern about the possibility of reverting to the disappointing form of the previous season, emphasizing the need for collective effort: “We need to work together. I am not going anywhere. The players are trying, but we must improve. We have training tomorrow to prepare for the next match.”

He also expressed envy towards Everton’s determination, acknowledging that their fighting spirit, despite leading to the sending off, was commendable. He remarked, “Fighting is not a negative trait. It reflects a willingness to battle for the ball. My sense was that if you lose the ball, you need to fight to prevent a goal. While I understand it was deemed violent conduct, I do not agree with the decision. I want my players to exhibit that level of commitment; it is a positive trait, not a negative one.”

Manchester United had the opportunity to move into fifth place in the Premier League, especially after Bournemouth dropped points against West Ham, and several rivals suffered defeats. Instead, they find themselves in 10th place in the league table after 12 matches, level on 18 points with Everton and 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Next Sunday, the Red Devils will face fifth-placed Crystal Palace, but Amorim expressed disappointment that the team did not capitalize on the weekend’s results and performed so sluggishly against Everton.

“It is my responsibility to explain the game, and today, it was not just one individual’s mistake; it was a team issue,” said the United manager. “Given the weekend’s results, we should have entered the pitch with a heightened level of excitement. It did not matter whether we were executing good passes; the atmosphere at Old Trafford signaled that we needed to step up. However, I felt we were unprepared once again.”