Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim praised Bruno Fernandes’ milestone goal and the resilience of his team after a rain-soaked 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford, Softfootball reports.
The Red Devils made the most of an early sending-off for Blues goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, with Fernandes marking his 200th Premier League appearance by netting his 100th goal for the club. Casemiro’s header doubled United’s lead before half-time, though the Brazilian’s later dismissal gave Chelsea a route back into the game. Trevoh Chalobah’s late strike set up a nervy finish, but United dug deep to claim three vital points.
Manchester United via their team’s official X handle, celebrated their captain on reaching an important milestone for both himself and the club, see below;
Speaking in his post-game press conference via the team’s official website, Amorim admitted that while Chelsea’s red card changed the dynamics of the game, he was delighted with United’s aggression, Fernandes’ leadership, and the support from the Old Trafford crowd.
On United’s start and overall performance, Amorim explained:
We started the game really well, really aggressive. We were so aggressive in the second balls. We had the sending off with Casemiro, we like to complicate our game always but it was a good day! I felt the urgency, of course the sending off helped us. We had to be more clinical to finish the game off sooner.
He was also quick to highlight Fernandes’ contribution on such a special night for the captain:
He has a great spirit, he is our captain and he scored a goal playing as a midfielder so I am really happy about that! People don’t have good things to say about our team so I am just joking around! I have nothing to say to the critics and, most of the time, they are right. Today, we won and it is a good day for us.
Amorim was eager to put the victory into context, stressing that the team must not get carried away despite the importance of the result, he said:
It is really important because I understand the situation around this club. We cannot forget that we suffer a lot when we are on top. We can lose against Grimsby, we can beat any team. I’m just thinking about the next one. It is really good to win. We need the urgency to win again, that is really important for us.
On Casemiro’s dismissal, the United manager showed sympathy but also demanded better decision-making from his experienced midfielder, he stated:
He’s [feeling] worse than me. We won, so I will forget a little bit and he will suffer because he’s a top professional. He understands what he did. He is experienced enough that that play should not be played like that. He cares too much.
Meanwhile, before the game kicked off, Manchester United honoured longtime serving player and leader, Harry Maguire who reached a milestone 250th appearance for the club, the video was shared on the team’s official X handle,before the commencement of the match, see below;
Amorim closed his reflections by praising the fans, insisting that the bond between team and supporters will grow as long as his players give everything, he said:
We suffered in the end but we deserved the win. Our crowd, our fans are easy to please. If you give everything, they will be there. That is something our players need to understand. To have the crowd with us, we just need to run, to fight and tackle. With this win, we have to forget the good feeling of winning the game and get back to the urgency of feeling we need to win the next game.
For Amorim, the balance of pride and pragmatism was clear, Fernandes’ milestone and United’s resilience in diffcult moments were celebrated. But he reminded his players that United cannot afford to relax, especially after last week’s devastating defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad, which exposed their flaws in painful fashion. For the united boss the message is simple, the urgency to win again must remain constant, no matter the opponent
