Ruben Amorim registered his second win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City this season thanks to Amad, who scored one and made another as Manchester United secured a 2-1 win at the Etihad
Few moments make a statement quite like scoring a last-gasp winner in a derby.
By doing just that against Manchester City on Sunday, Amad has firmly staked his claim for an automatic starting spot at Manchester United. That is, at least, according to Danny Murphy, who reckoned the young star’s heroics at the Etihad Stadium have made it impossible for United boss Ruben Amorim to leave him out of the line-up.
“Amad Diallo was outstanding,” Murphy said on Match of the Day. “Talk about a player trying to impress a new manager and showing he was right to select him. And what he’s done now is he’s said to the manager, ‘you can’t leave me out’. He turned that game on its head.”
Interjecting, host Mark Chapman posited: “He’s kind of first choice in that role now isn’t he? Either at wing-back or in that role [at right wing] he had today.” Agreeing, Murphy replied: “I think that role [right wing] suits him best because he’s going to get in those goalscoring positions.”
Pep Guardiola’s City side, who are in the midst of an unprecedented slump, initially took the lead via Josko Gvardiol, who headed Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected cross beyond Andre Onana on 36 minutes. The visitors equalised with two minutes to play in the second half after Bruno Fernandes converted from the penalty spot, though Amad was very much the architect.
Moments earlier, the 22-year-old had pounced on a wayward Matheus Nunes backpass, before being recklessly felled by the Portugal international – who, by trying to rectify his initial gaffe, made another one in the box. Then, two minutes later, Amad scored the winner in equally-opportunistic fashion.
He latched onto a lofted through ball from Lisandro Martinez, cleverly dinked it over an onrushing Ederson, before caressing the ball into the far corner at a tight angle, beyond the outstretched legs of both Gvardiol and Nunes. After the game, Amorim – who beat City 4-1 in the Champions League with Sporting CP last month – admitted that Amad was the difference-maker, but urged caution against expecting too much of the youngster.
“I don’t want to just talk about Amad,” he said. “A lot of players here are improving, are fighting, are working really hard, are suffering – and that is a good thing when you are suffering for something.
“Amad, of course, is in a great moment. But I will say it again… Amad did a great job, but let’s be careful with him. We don’t want to do the same mistakes we did in the past with other younger guys. Let’s praise him, but the next game is a new story so he must continue to work hard.”
Amad himself told MUTV post-match: “I have been waiting for a long time to have this moment,” Amad told MUTV post-match. “I have been working so hard every day to have this moment, to live this moment, and I am so happy the team is very happy with me because I am a chilled guy.”
He added: “This is a derby and you have to be more angry than them and we showed we’re hungry.”
The result, which is City’s eighth defeat in 11 games in all competitions, marked United’s first victory at the Etihad since March 2021. The Red Devils are still 13th in the Premier League, but have now closed the gap between them and the top four to just six points.
City, meanwhile, are fifth in the table. They’re a point behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, and nine points off league-leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand. Up next for them is a trip to Aston Villa before clashes with Everton and Leicester to close out the year.
United, who have now won four of the seven matches Amorim has been in charge of, face Tottenham in their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie next on Thursday. They’ll then end 2024 with Premier League fixtures against Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle.
Amad joined United from Atalanta aged just 18 in January 2021 in a deal worth £20million (potentially rising to £33m with add-ons). Loan moves at Rangers and Sunderland followed before he eventually sealed a spot in United’s first team squad in 2023. This season, the Ivorian has been a regular fixture in line-up for the first, having made 23 appearances in all competitions so far.
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