Manchester United head back to Old Trafford after their 2-2 draw at Everton – and Ruben Amorim knows he must address their dreadful form at home if he is to turn things around
It was a bit of a quip at the end of the press conference but also the reality.
Manchester United are heading home for four home games in just over two weeks that will define the remainder of their season but there is no comfort at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim was discussing yet another below-par performance after a 2-2 draw at Everton when it was put to him about this being his one and only visit to Goodison Park.
“I think it’s amazing, the fans of Everton are amazing, they are in a good moment, it’s well deserved that David Moyes is the coach to start in the next stadium, it’s really good,” said the United manager. “But for me, in this moment, every stadium is really difficult, especially ours with our fans supporting all the time!”
The end of that sentence is telling. United have won just two league games at home under the Portuguese boss. They were against Everton and Southampton. Now they host Ipswich on Wednesday night and need a win to make the table look a bit more respectable.
That’s before an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Fulham, then a trip to Real Sociedad before they host Arsenal in the league and the second-leg of the Europa League tie against the Spanish outfit.
Amorim isn’t getting anything more out of these players on the road, but they have picked up a win at Manchester City, a draw at Liverpool, a penalty shootout victory against Arsenal in the cup and now this comeback point at a rejuvenated Everton.
Yet now they have to start performing on their own patch where they seem terrified to play. Because if they come through those four games at home further adrift in the bottom half of the table and out of both cup competitions then this really will be their worst campaign for decades.
The positive to come from this game is that it didn’t turn out to be a thrashing because, at times, it felt it would. Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure had pounced on pathetic defending from United to put David Moyes’ side 2-0 up in 33 minutes.
They had chances for a third that, if taken, could have turned this into an ugly afternoon for United and Amorim. But Bruno Fernandes stepped up in the last 20 minutes to inspire a comeback. It was his low free-kick which wrong-footed Jordan Pickford and found the bottom corner with United’s first shot on target.
Then, after another set-piece from the United captain wasn’t properly cleared, Manuel Ugarte controlled the ball on his chest before firing in his first goal for the club at a timely moment. United could have won it with Fernandes forcing Pickford into a stunning save but then there was VAR drama at the end.
Ashley Young went down after pulls from Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire but made it look extravagant and, after being sent to the screen, referee Andy Madley overruled his own decision and United got away with it.
“Every point now is massive for us because we are in a position that is very tough for us,” said Fernandes as United stayed rooted in 15th. “Every point counts for us at the moment. We need to be aware that the position we’re in is not the best, it’s not where the club needs to be. We need to demand more from ourselves.”
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