Manchester United’s European campaign is well and truly back on track after a second-consecutive comeback win vs Plzen to win 2-1.
Andre Onana’s error had Man Utd fans get Nottingham Forest deja vu but Rasmus Hojlund came off the bench to rescue all three points in a sensational manner.
The result is a boost for Ruben Amorim but the performance won’t be, as United looked toothless before the three subs- Mason Mount, Hojlund, and Antony, injected some pace and movement into proceedings.
Not only did United struggle to create often, but they missed many chances near full-time to put the game to bed, making the wrong decision almost every time.
Things came to a head at full-time between two players due to that repeated failure to capitalise on transitions and Ruben Amorim gave his thoughts on the same.
Amad and Rasmus Hojlund clash on the pitch
Amad and Rasmus Hojlund were the two top performers on the day, with Amad creating the Dane’s first goal through his brilliant dribbling and being a nuisance throughout.
Hojlund scored his second off of Bruno Fernandes’ smart free-kick and with the game nearing full-time, he was looking for a hattrick.
The striker got multiple opportunities too, but the biggest one came in injury time as Amad drove at a dismembered Plzen defence when they had committed many men forward.
With the numbers advantage clear, Amad ran in acres of space and Hojlund was screaming for a pass but it never arrived.
The Ivorian instead got into a tangle and the opportunity came to nothing, not for the first time in the game.
Fortunately, it didn’t cost United any points but Hojlund made sure to vent his frustration at Amad after the full-time whistle blew and made no effort to hide his intention either.
Ruben Amorim reacts to Hojlund-Amad row
Since he arrived at the club, Amorim has demanded for one thing more than anything else from his Man Utd squad and that is “intensity”.
Be it in the running department or the willingness to go the extra mile and outwork the opposition, that has been the buzzword at Old Trafford.
Therefore, it was going to be interesting to see how he would react to two teammates obviously driven by the desire to get better and let their emotions speak for themselves after a game.
In a response that was entirely expected, Amorim said the row was “perfect”, adding that the team “needed to feel something” at that point.
He said: “We need to feel something… If we need to fight each other, it’s like a FAMILY. When you don’t care, you do nothing. When you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. It’s a VERY GOOD sign.”
The culture of holding each other accountable while striving to be the best is what drives all the great teams to success and instances like these must make Amorim delighted that his leadership is bearing fruit.
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