Ruben Amorim was delighted to see the post-match feud between Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo in the Czech Republic as he watches what the Manchester United manager wants from his players.
After defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, compounded by the shock sending off of sporting director Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils lifted spirits with a 2-1 win in their Europa League return leg at Viktoria Plzeň on Thursday.
A mistake from Andre Onana gave former Burnley striker Matej Vidra an early lead in the second half, but United substitute Hoslund quickly equalized before firing home a goal two minutes from time to ensure Amorim took over as United manager. We achieved our first away win.
Bruno Fernandes’ assist for Rasmus Højlund’s winning goal was the seventh chance he created in the match against Viktoria Plzen.
But after scoring twice at full-time, the player’s biggest emotion was the frustration of not getting the chance to complete his hat-trick in added time when Diallo decided to score alone instead of crossing.
Moments later in another break Hojlund opted not to pass to the forwards, leading to an altercation at the final whistle which the recently appointed Amorim accepted positively.
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Robert Earnshaw has spoken about Marcus Rashford and whether he will join the Manchester United squad in January.
“Yes (I knew that), it was perfect for me,” the United manager said.
“You know, in this moment, we need to feel something. If we’re fighting each other, it’s like family. To me, that’s a very, very good sign. We need to feel something, and that’s important.”
Rasmus Hölund has been involved in 50% of Manchester United’s goals in the UEFA Europa League this season.
In Portuguese, this shows that the players care. “That is clear.
“If you don’t care, you don’t do anything. If you care, you fight with your brothers, your father, your mother. That’s a very good sign for me.
Ruben Amorim tonight became the third Manchester United manager to win both of his first two games in a major European competition, joining Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson.
“It’s normal. I think it’s a positive and healthy thing, so the players and the captain can calm down.
“If it seems too much, I will go into the dressing room. But it is their space, they have to talk and fight and, again, it is very important to me.”
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Robert Earnshaw details Manchester United’s win over Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League.
Thursday’s win took United a huge step forward towards the Europa League knockout stages and increased their chances of finishing in the top eight. This means they will bypass the playoff rounds.
It was a welcome shot ahead of Sunday’s game away to rivals Manchester City and another step forward for Amorim as he attempts to build a team in his own image.
No team in the UEFA Europa League has picked up more points from a losing position than Manchester United this season (7).
“At this moment, in this context, it was important not to give up in the way of giving the opponent a goal,” he said.
“It’s a great message. It wasn’t a great game, but we did a good job as a team and I think we deserved the win.
“I’m glad we won the game and can still fight each other, that’s really good.
“When I win and fight with my team-mates because I want to score one more point, it’s a great day for me.”
