Ruben Amorim remains confident Manchester United are “going to get many wins” after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Fulham this afternoon.
United went ahead when a Bryan Mbeumo corner flew in off the back of Fulham forward Rodrigo Muniz but Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to claim a deserved share of the spoils for the hosts.
Amorim has presided over just seven victories from his 29 league games in charge of United – his 24.1 win percentage is the same as Neil Warnock’s – and has yet to get off the mark this season following last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal.
His team did again show flashes that they are on the right track and Amorim was in bullish mood after the game at Craven Cottage.
He told Sky Sports: “We just want to win games. The players know they are playing in a club where they need to be better. Today they worked really hard and all week in training. I am really confident that we are going to get many wins.”
Manchester United boss Amorim admits ‘we can do better’
Amorim was satisfied with his team’s efforts but conceded there was still room for improvement in the execution.
“We can do better but we are putting in the effort so that is the most important to me,” he added. “In some moments we did well, especially in the beginning of the game. After the goal we were just thinking about the result. We were okay until the goal and then we were not smart in that moment.
“We have to think about the performance. I know what the feeling is of a player who has to win every match. We missed a penalty, we missed some chances and then we score and we had to defend that goal. We have to focus on our movements and play until the end.”
United were the better side in the first half but saw captain Bruno Fernandes blaze a penalty over the bar. They eventually took the lead 13 minutes after the break but Amorim was disappointed with how they played with the advantage.
“I think we scored the goal and then we forgot about how we play,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “We want to win so badly, and that is a good feeling, that we scored a goal and everyone on the pitch was thinking, ‘Let’s hold onto the advantage and try to win the game’. For me that is the moment that we have to enjoy more and push the opponent. We tried to press the opponent super high and left a lot of space.
“We have to grow up a lot as a team. For me the most important thing is that during the week they were working really hard, today we worked really hard, and we are going to improve. The moment that changed the game was our goal.”
Manchester United captain Fernandes annoyed with ref Kavanagh
Fernandes cut a frustrated figure after the game and revealed his anger at a minor coming together with referee Chris Kavanagh that forced him to repeat his routine before missing the penalty.
“I was upset.,” said the Portugal midfielder. “As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines, your own things that you do.
“It upset me because the referee didn’t apologise. That is what triggered me in that moment, but that’s not the excuse for missing the penalty.
“I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot too under the ball and that’s why it ended up going over the bar.”
Amorim was quick to stand up for his countryman. “He wants to win so badly,” he said of the former Sporting CP man. “He is our leader and he has so much responsibility. I felt that he missed the penalty and he was thinking about it during the game. We need to move forward and to play the game.”
