Manchester United coach, Ruben Amorim has expressed dissatisfaction with Bruno Fernandes’ actions leading to his ejection in Manchester United’s defeat against Wolves. The Red Devils suffered a third consecutive loss in all competitions, losing 2-0 at Molineux on Boxing Day. Fernandes was given a second yellow card for a foul on Nelson Semedo, leaving Wolves with a one-man advantage for most of the second half.
Matheus Cunha scored the opening goal from a corner that eluded Andre Onana and landed in the far corner. Despite making attacking changes, United couldn’t equalise and Wolves secured the three points needed to escape the Premier League relegation zone with Hwang Hee-chan’s 98th-minute goal.
This is Fernandes’ third red card in 27 appearances this season, highlighting his lack of discipline. Reflecting on the defeat, Amorim told Prime Video: “Losing is always a setback. The ejection made it really difficult,” and added that despite being a man down, the team tried to fight back but fell short. When asked about Fernandes’ expulsion, Amorim stated: “I believe he couldn’t reach the ball. He was attempting to get to the ball, but some players weren’t even looking at it. However, I don’t want to focus on that. The positive aspect is that we were still close to scoring, even with 10 players. Unfortunately, we lost,” as reported by the Mirror.
He went on to emphasise the challenges of playing with a reduced squad: “It’s tough enough to win games in this league with 11 players. It’s even more challenging with 10. That’s something we need to focus on.” The coach expressed his frustration with the team’s inconsistent performances since taking over from Erik ten Hag, pointing out the players’ struggles to execute his game plan.
Amorim also mentioned: “We need to improve our relationships, but we have some moments. We lack a bit of aggression, but we don’t have proper training. We just play and try to find a way to win games. We can’t control the games like the ones we lost. I believe we were always in control, not necessarily dominating, but in control of certain aspects, such as set-pieces. The ejection was a significant setback for us.”
When asked about Marcus Rashford’s continued exclusion from the team, Amorim faced predictable questions. “It’s always the same reason,” he replied. “We have to maintain the same level of professionalism, whether we win or lose. When we lose, I have to be even stronger. I will stick to my approach until the end.”
