Ruben Amorim’s rapid Man Utd improvement vs City was more than just the goals, he’s transformed the team

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Ruben Amorim has been Manchester United head coach for less than a month and he already has his first big win away from home.

Manchester United had a poor record away from home under Erik ten Hag, with away wins in Europe becoming a rarity until Ruben Amorim arrived and earned our first set of three points on the road in the Europa League this season.

It took United recording a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen to give the Reds a firm chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, and with two games remaining in the competition, Amorim’s men still have work to do to secure their place in the next round.

United built on that win by beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It was a win that added fuel to the fire that surrounds Pep Guardiola, with City winning just one of their last 11 matches.

City opened the scoring from a corner to show yet again how weak United are when it comes to defending set pieces. However, the Reds turned things around late in the second half thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo.

Without further ado, United in Focus compares the previous two derbies at the Etihad.

Manchester United improve in two key areas

United recorded their first win at the Etihad on Sunday since 2021, so it hasn’t been an easy trip for the Reds in recent memory.

City put three goals past Andre Onana when United visited the Etihad last season, with Phil Foden scoring a brace and Erling Haaland finding the back of the net in stoppage time.

The stand-out statistics from that game were shots on goal and possession, with City enjoying the majority of both. Guardiola’s side enjoyed 72.9% of possession and had eight shots on target compared to one from United.

It was very different this time around at the Etihad, with both teams sharing the same amount of shots on goal (3) and attempts (10). United’s possession jumped from 27.1% to 48.2% which marks a significant improvement under Amorim – on top of the three points.

Early signs of positive transformation under Ruben Amorim

Although United’s results need to improve tenfold, we are seeing early signs of positive transformation under Amorim and the result against City proves that.

United look a lot more organised defensively, and we are not conceding as many goals or chances from open play as a result. There is still room for improvement when it comes to the first-team defending set pieces, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and patience is required.

So long as we’re seeing improvements – albeit minor – it shows that we are moving in the right direction.

Amorim is still trying to introduce his preferred style to a group of players he is new to. It will take time and United fans understand that better than most.