Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim expressed frustration with his team’s inability to secure victory after a 1-1 draw against West Ham United in the Premier League on Thursday. The result added to a series of recent matches in which United have been unable to convert leads into three points.
The draw leaves Manchester United in eighth place in the Premier League table. The team is two points outside the top four, but their position could have been stronger had they not dropped points from winning positions against Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest in previous fixtures. United also lost 1-0 to Everton at Old Trafford in their last home match, despite playing against ten men for almost the entire game.
Amorim described the match as one that should have been secured earlier. He stated that his side needed to maintain possession and keep the game away from their defensive area, particularly due to the threat posed by set pieces.
“We should have closed the game with the ball because the game was there to win,” Amorim said. “The game was under control. We knew we needed to defend far from our box as any set piece can be a problem. We could not do it, we could not maintain the ball and again we lost two points.”
Diogo Dalot scored the opening goal for Manchester United shortly before the hour mark. However, West Ham equalised seven minutes from time through Soungoutou Magassa, who converted from a corner. The late goal highlighted the concerns Amorim had referenced throughout his post match comments.
Amorim acknowledged that United showed positive moments during the match but stressed that periods of lost control ultimately prevented them from securing the win.
“I think the overall performance was not perfect. We had our moments but we lost control in the game in some minutes in the first half and in the second half, especially after the goal,” he said. “It is really frustrating because you look at the game, you have the game under control and we did not win.”
The draw adds further pressure on Manchester United as they continue their pursuit of a top four finish and seek greater consistency in the second half of the season.
