Premier League news: Ruben Amorim sacked by Man Utd after Red Devils stumble to draw at Leeds
Ruben Amorim has been sacked by Manchester United in the wake of an uninspiring 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Sunday.
United publicly announced the news on Monday morning, with Amorim having been informed of the decision in a meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada.
Darren Fletcher will take charge of the Red Devils for the trip to Burnley on Wednesday as the club begins the search for a permanent replacement.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Robert Bore looks back on the final game of the Amorim era.
Double century for Dalot
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Oh man, I’ve had a feeling of impending doom many times over the years – first time hearing the dentist’s drill, first time flying, first time wearing budgie smugglers – but none of them compared with seeing that United team sheet.
Without mentioning the starting XI, I’ve seen stronger benches at B&Q.
Amorim’s weapons of choice from the off were limited by the continuing injury woes at Old Trafford, though, meaning Leny Yoro came back in for Joshua Zirkzee alongside Ayden Heaven and skipper Lisandro Martínez in a defensive trio.
That also saw Luke Shaw move up as a left wing-back and my old mate Diogo Dalot on the right.
Dalot, oh Dalot. He was starting his 200th game across all competitions for United. Read that again … 200th start!
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A cagey opening period
Speaking of starts, United began well enough, pressing high and giving the hosts something to think about.
Matheus Cunha actually got the ball in the net, but Benjamin Šeško was just too late in getting back onside before flicking on Senne Lammens’ long punt, with Casemiro having subsequently nodded it down for the Brazilian to volley sweetly into the corner.
The in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired over after good work from Brenden Aaronson in the next attack and it was noticeable that the visitors had played out short from Lammens’ goal kicks twice inside the first 10 minutes, which did nothing for my blood pressure.
Casemiro then played a delicate ball in behind for Šeško, who got a shot off but it was blocked well and, to their credit, United had taken the sting out of the game and the bile out of the crowd.
But it was still quite defensive on the whole as both sides dropped into more secure back fives when on the turn.
Dalot failed to prevent a corner by not stretching to stop Gabriel Gudmundsson from getting the cross in and Shaw had to be alert to protect his goal.
Two hundred starts for a man that cannot do basic defending. I simply don’t get it.
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Leeds grow into game
Šeško was a danger in the box, but unfortunately it was our own as the ball hit his stomach first before rolling up to his underarm, and penalty screams faded like yodels in Swiss mountains.
United played out well from the back with a lightning-quick one-touch counter, but the final ball for Patrick Dorgu, playing as a right-sided number 10 opposite Cunha, was poor.
Dorgu and Dalot combined well to win a corner as we hit the half hour, but when Martínez pulled the ball back to the Portuguese at the far post, he ballooned it over – although the pass wasn’t the best in all fairness.
Casemiro and Cunha got themselves into a mess in the middle and Aaronson nicked it before flashing a weak shot wide.
Ugarte then popped one over the top for Šeško, but he was bettered by fellow-countryman Jaka Bijol, who was having a good game.
Dorgu went into the book for a tackle on Calvert-Lewin who almost put his side ahead when he glanced a header off a post – it was a let off and a reminder of the former Everton man's danger.
United, by all accounts, had lost their tempo a little.
United find their rhythm
Martínez, for the third game running, played a delicious ball over the last defender for Cunha which resulted in another corner, Casemiro heading it goalwards and Yoro helping it on, but Lucas Perri pushed it over the top from under his crossbar with Cunha too high with his strike from the centre.
United had found their rhythm again, and it was that quiet that you could hear locals asking for scraps on their half-time chip breadcakes.
Dorgu did well to cut inside as we entered a minute of first-half added time, but he couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough to hit the target and it was goalless at the break.
No changes going into the second half and United were now attacking what I like to call the ‘Cantona End’ in honour of that former Leeds great.
A quiet start to the half livened up with Gudmundsson firing into Lammens’ near post and Ugarte striking wide at the other end.
Cunha did well to get wrestled off the ball before wrestling himself back on it, Shaw then teeing up a cross from the outside of Casemiro’s boot that Šeško connected with, but his header looked like it has come off a bag of gravel as it dumped wide – the flag not sparing his blushes.
He was having another poor game, bless him.
Heaven put his first foot wrong once in a while as Aaronson nipped in around him at the byline but Lammens was alert.
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Calamity Button strikes again
Just when it looked as though nothing would happen, something did, and the Calamity Button (rescued from the sink earlier in the week) went off again.
Naturally, Dalot was involved with another of his Sunday League specialities.
Yoro slipped a three-yard pass to him to remove the danger on the touchline near the halfway line, but Dalot’s left-foot ‘clearance’ went four yards and allowed Pascal Struijk to get in just ahead of Dorgu.
Struijk wasn’t looking for Aaronson but the ball curled beautifully over Calvert-Lewin and Heaven, who had been left flat-footed by his inept team-mate.
The American had anticipated the ball better than a static Casemiro and was in behind before lashing past Lammens.
Heaven appeared to take the blame, but there was little he could do other than maybe bring down his man and risk a red card.
Amorim went to his dice with Yoro off for Zirkzee – it turned out to be a masterstroke as United were level two minutes and 55 seconds after the opener.
Šeško laid off to the sub, who dropped the ball in behind for Cunha who had pointed exactly where he wanted it and then steered the ball neatly into the far corner as Perri left himself in the lurch.
It was as unexpected as it was welcomed.
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Frantic conclusion in Leeds
Zirkzee turned provider again, running to meet Cunha’s pass at the Leeds goal-line and cutting back for Šeško, but the big frontman cushioned his shot wide.
It was another good chance, and it was hard not to feel for him and hope that one goes in off his arse or something in the near future.
Zirkzee, as poor as he was last time out, was making a difference.
He was involved again, feeding Dorgu down the right and his square to Cunha was hit first time but only found the outside of Perri’s post.
It was a league-leading 13th time this season that Amorim’s men had struck the woodwork.
The visitors looked strongest as the clock ticked away but would we have a red-shirted hero?
The problem was Amorim had no real dice left on the bench and didn’t appear to trust any of his youth this time out – Ugarte and Casemiro getting full rare games.
Leeds sub Joël Piroe fired just over the top from a quick counter after good work from fellow sub Willy Gnonto and suddenly the hosts had the impetus again as we awaited the board for added time, which showed four.
Gnonto appealed for a penalty after his cross hit Cunha’s knee then rolled up to his hand and VAR agreed there was nothing in it.
The last couple of minutes were frantically end-to-end, especially when Dalot decided to curl a clearance 25 yards central straight at a Leeds man who thankfully couldn’t convert – and that was that.
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Drab end for Amorim
Spare a thought for Heaven, who will be blamed for the goal despite another very good game.
Two of his colleagues were at fault ahead of him, three if you put some blame on Yoro for trusting Dalot under mild pressure, but the lad will learn and his trajectory is definitely upwards.
Zirkzee has every right to be knocking on his manager’s door asking for a start ahead of the ineffective Šeško, even if he was a little sloth-like against Wolves and deserved to be hooked.
Elsewhere, Ugarte had one of his better games, but United really do need players back.
The Africa Cup of Nations has at least entered the knock-out stages, so here’s hoping Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are back sooner rather than later while Bruno Fernandes’ absence is mourned.
Amorim did hint that the lesser-spotted Mason Mount and Bruno may be available next time out but no news on Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, either one of which would book-end Heaven wonderfully with Martínez.
It could have been worse, but it was another two points dropped as the phobia of the top four continues – and now Amorim is gone after 14 months in charge and it’s once again back to the drawing board for the club.
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