Ruben Amorim admitted Manchester United showed a “different spirit” in Sunday’s FA Cup third-round triumph over Arsenal, compared to last month’s Premier League defeat to the Gunners.
United lost 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in early December, conceding both goals from corners. It marked the beginning of a difficult period for the team, in which shortcomings in the settings repeatedly came to the fore.
But Amorim’s side began 2025 with a much better performance against Liverpool at Anfield and then managed kick Arsenal out of the cup on penaltiesdespite playing an hour with just ten men through extra time after Diogo Dalot was sent off.
“I think we played, especially in the first half, better [than] in the first game [against Arsenal]. We were better in sets, more aggressive. We show a different spirit, even with ten people. We are improving on that aspect,” he said.
“I think we had a lot of difficulty at the beginning of the game to control the ball game and then we suffered, not big chances, but we suffered running after the ball, especially to change the game, to win the first press. Arsenal.
“But then we can use this moment, take the game to another level when we talk about aggressiveness. And that’s a very good thing. We managed to score and then I felt that we could improve with the ball at that moment, but with [player] dispatched [it] it was very difficult for us. And then we all suffered together, we defended very well, with the occasional opportunity Arsenal.
“The players were very tired, but I felt from the first minute that today was our day. I also felt the connection with our fans, our staff. It was a very good day for us in that sense. We have to improve the way we play football. “
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
