Senne Lammens moment in Man Utd win speaks volumes as Ruben Amorim gets timely boost

Manchester United eased the pressure on Ruben Amorim with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford, with new keeper Senne Lammens impressing on his debut for the Red Devils

Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United squad stepped up to the plate, saving their manager from another uncomfortable post-match inquest and, potentially, even losing his job.

Ahead of the match, Amorim confessed that if results didn’t pick up, it would be impossible for him to continue, with this game being touted as a do-or-die situation for the beleaguered United boss. However, first-half goals from Mason Mount and £74million summer recruit Benjamin Sesko paved the way for a comfortable United victory, propelling them to eighth place in the Premier League standings.

Amorim will now hope to see out the international break without the fear of receiving a call from chief executive Omar Berrada thanking him for his services.

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This win was crucial for Amorim to alleviate the mounting pressure on him, amid rumours of players losing confidence in his tactics and the United board beginning to question his suitability. United are still a team under construction and have yet to secure consecutive league victories under Amorim, but this win – even against a lacklustre Sunderland side – has bought the head coach some time.

Amorim made five changes from the team that suffered a 3-1 defeat at Brentford a week ago, giving goalkeeper Senne Lammens his United debut, while Altay Bayindir was relegated to the bench. The United boss had previously stated that the two would compete for the No. 1 spot, and Lammens’ performance suggests that Bayindir will struggle to reclaim his position.

Lammens dominated his area, earning a massive cheer in the first half when he confidently collected the ball, and made two impressive saves in each half to round off an excellent debut. Bayindir has struggled to impress early in the season, so it was a breath of fresh air to see some stability brought to the defence.

Sunderland rocked up at Old Trafford following their best start to a top-flight season in 70 years, having racked up 11 points to kick off the game in sixth place in the league table.

Given this context, Amorim and his squad anticipated a tough challenge from Regis Le Bris’s team, but the newly-promoted side failed to deliver. United got off to a dream start, taking the lead after just eight minutes, with Bryan Mbeumo setting up Mason Mount, who controlled the ball with his left foot before clinically finishing with his right from just inside the 18-yard box.

Amad nearly doubled the lead in the 20th minute, cutting in from the left into the penalty area, then firing a left-footed shot towards goal which Sunderland ‘keeper Robin Roefs did well to deflect.

Roefs had to be on his toes again a few minutes later to fend off a shot from Mbeumo, as United ramped up the pressure in pursuit of a second goal to give them a bit more breathing room. United captain Bruno Fernandes then saw a delightful chip tipped onto the bar by Roefs, as the hosts bombarded the goalmouth at the Stretford End.

The second goal arrived in the 31st minute, with Benjamin Sesko pouncing on a loose ball and slotting it into the net after Diogo Dalot’s long throw-in was flicked on by Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele. It marked Sesko’s second goal for United, following his strike in last weekend’s defeat at Brentford, and was no more than Amorim’s side deserved.

Sunderland struggled to pose an attacking threat, but when they did, Lammens was there to thwart them, diving early to his left to save a low shot from Black Cats captain Granit Xhaka.

United had a scare just before half-time when referee Stuart Attwell awarded a penalty following a high challenge from Sesko on Sunderland’s Trai Hume. However, after a VAR review and a check on the pitchside monitor, Attwell reversed his decision.

In the end, United’s first-half performance was enough to secure the win, setting them up nicely for a massive test after the international break – a trip to reigning champions and fierce rivals Liverpool.

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