Ruben Amorim makes excuse for Andre Onana howler after Wolves feast, alarming issue remains for Manchester United

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Manchester United suffered their eighth defeat in the Premier League on Boxing Day, losing 2-0 against a Wolves side witnessing a new manager bounce.

There has been no ‘new manager bounce’ at Manchester United as questions are asked of Ruben Amorim, who succeeded Erik ten Hag in the hot seat just a month ago.

Some of the same problems remain, like conceding goals from set-pieces, but there have been minor improvements, but not in terms of results. United are still lacking firepower in the final third, and Amorim’s side are weak defensively and physically.

That was the case yet again at Molineux as United lost 2-0 against Wolves, leaving the Reds sat 14^th in the Premier League table.

United were level with Wolves before Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second bookable offence. Then a dreaded corner kick was scored directly by Matheus Cunha which raised further questions about Andre Onana between the posts.

Wolves rounded out the win in injury time thanks to Hwang Hee-Chan. It means United have lost four of their last five fixtures, with Amorim losing three consecutive games for the first time in his managerial career.

Ruben Amorim defends Andre Onana after mistake leads to opening goal

Onana conceded directly from a corner kick as United lost 2-0 at Molineux.

United fans suffered a horrible sense of déjà vu after conceding a similar goal in the 4-3 defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Except it was Altay Bayindir who was left with an egg on his face that night.

When speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, Amorim was asked about Onana’s costly mistake after the match.

The Portuguese coach defended his goalkeeper, who was obstructed by two opposition players for the corner kick.

“I think he cannot go to the ball,” Amorim said. “He’s trying to reach the ball and some guys are not even looking at the ball but I don’t want to focus on that. I think the good thing is we were near the goal, even with 10 men. That is a good thing, but we lost.”

Amorim clutching for positives but alarming issue remains

Amorim took a minor positive from the game because he knows it will take time for this team to adapt to his preferred playing style.

United playing closer to the opposition’s box is one thing. Sticking it in the back of the net is another and our forwards are struggling to do that consistently, which raises questions about whether they are surplus to requirements.

While Amorim clutches for positives, he cannot ignore the elephant in the room. United’s first team have conceded from 18 set-pieces in 2024 and it continues to be our biggest problem. It’s an alarming issue that the coaches need to work on because football matches are won and lost on set-pieces.

We already know the head coach isn’t going to change his style because he believes it would be his biggest downfall. That sort of courage and belief should be admired at a club like United, but our standards shouldn’t drop to a point that relegation fodder is taking three points from us.

United are back in action on Monday night when they host Newcastle United at Old Trafford.