Amorim Praises United's Fight as They Earn Draw at Liverpool

Get the latest updates on Manchester United's 2-2 draw with Liverpool, including reaction from Ruben Amorim and Roy Keane.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim expressed mixed emotions after his team's 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday. Despite being delighted with the intensity his side showed, Amorim felt that the performance left him wanting more. “Today I'm allowed to be the only guy upset with the team,” Amorim told reporters.

A week after warning that his team could face relegation, Amorim saw his players put in a spirited display at Anfield, with Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo scoring United's first goals at the stadium since 2018. The draw was a testament to United's determination, as they went toe-to-toe with the league's best team.

Amorim emphasized the importance of his team's mentality, stating, “I want to see my team play so much better, but I think the most important thing to address today is the mentality. That is the key for everything.” He added, “Today, we were a different team, not because of the system, not because of the technical aspect of the game, the tactical aspect of the game. We faced the competition in the way that we are supposed to face every day, training and match. It doesn't matter the place... we need to face every day like that.”

The 2-2 draw with Liverpool saw Manchester United move up to 13th place in the table, still a significant 11 points behind sixth-placed Manchester City and 13 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Despite the gap, the result felt like a victory for the ecstatic traveling United fans, who had endured the challenging wintery drive to Anfield.

"I get more mad because of the other games...we need to fight REALLY bad to get out of this situation"

Ruben Amorim says that today's result has made him 'really mad' with Man United's previous results across the Premier League 😯 pic.twitter.com/MNIvEAlVWo

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 5, 2025

United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was one of his team's standout performers, couldn't hide his frustration after the game. “I'm pretty upset,” Fernandes admitted. He questioned the team's inconsistency, asking, “If we show this level at Liverpool, first in the league, why can't we do this everywhere?”

Ruben Amorim reflected on Manchester United's recent struggles, particularly their three consecutive home losses. “It's really clear,” he said, highlighting the team's defensive issues. “We lost three games in a row at home, some of the games we suffered two goals without doing nothing (defensively).”

Amorim had been looking forward to having a full week of training without midweek games, hoping it would allow him to implement his tactics more effectively. “I don't want to use that, but of course, when you train, you understand better the way we play, the positioning, the characteristics of the teammates, the things are really important,” he explained. However, Amorim chose not to emphasize this point, instead focusing on the team's performance during the game. “But I don't want to use that today,” he said. “Today is all about the focus when you are playing football, the focus on set pieces, the focus on passing the ball, not in the sloppy way, but in the way that we cannot lose one ball because in the other part of the pitch is (Mohamed) Salah, is (Luis) Diaz, so you don't lose the ball.”

Ruben Amorim emphasized the importance of maintaining possession, particularly against top opponents like Liverpool. “If you lose the ball in some parts of the pitch, you know that we are going to suffer,” he said. Amorim stressed that having the right mentality every day is crucial, adding, “If you have that mentality every day, you are a different team and I think that is really clear.”

The match ended with a thrilling moment, as Harry Maguire missed a clear opportunity to score with the last kick of the game. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane shared his thoughts on the Sky Sports broadcast, saying, “I don't think anyone would have predicted them scoring two goals today or nearly nicking it at the end.” Keane, however, tempered his praise, emphasizing the need for consistency. “But the key is that they have to back it up,” he said. Keane also highlighted the importance of showing up to every game with the right mindset, adding, “The argument to all of this though is that you can't just pick and choose when you want to turn up for a game at Manchester United.”