Ruben Amorim, the manager of Manchester United, did not attribute their FA Cup victory over Leicester City to “Fergie time” and instead took responsibility for another lackluster performance by the Red Devils.
In a thrilling match at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire scored a controversial 93rd-minute winner, saving United from a humiliating exit from the tournament they had triumphed in last season. Despite replays clearly showing that Maguire was offside, the goal was allowed to stand as VAR was not introduced until the fifth round of the 2024-25 edition of the FA Cup.
Maguire’s winning goal made him the first United player since April 2016 to score a decisive goal in second-half stoppage time in the FA Cup. On that occasion, it was Anthony Martial who achieved the feat against Everton in the semi-finals, leading United to lift the trophy under Louis van Gaal. However, Amorim was far from impressed with his team’s performance on Friday.
Amorim criticized United’s display and suggested that they need to move away from relying on “Fergie time,” a term coined during Alex Ferguson’s tenure due to the team’s reputation for scoring late winners. Speaking to ITV Sport, Amorim stated, “We had to believe until the end, but this game has nothing to do with Fergie time. I think the performance…we have to do so much better with the ball and without the ball. We didn’t have any energy in the beginning, especially in the first half.”
He continued, “Then in the second half, we played a little bit better, with a little more speed, winning second balls. We managed to turn things around, so it was a good result, but not a good performance.”
United’s lackluster display was evident in their statistics as well. They only managed two shots, neither of which were on target, in the first half. Their expected goals figure before the break was a meager 0.04 xG, compared to Leicester’s 0.84 xG. This xG figure is the lowest United have recorded in the first half of any game across all competitions this season.
Amorim took responsibility for United’s continued attacking struggles, stating, “The coach is the first responsible. When a team doesn’t perform, doesn’t improve, it is the coach. But we are here to analyze the game and try to improve for the next one.”
He added, “I think it’s the small things, if you see the games sometimes, we need to control the ball, to have the ball, don’t give the ball away in the first pressure. It’s the small things, it’s the big things, it’s everything. At the moment, it’s hard away but especially at home. We have to cope with that and we will try to do it next game.”
In conclusion, Amorim acknowledged United’s fortunate victory but emphasized the need for significant improvements in their overall performance.
