It wasn't the result Manchester United wanted as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night. The two teams, who are sitting 16th and 17th in the Premier League respectively, faced off for a chance at silverware and a place in next season's Champions League and it was Ange Postecoglou's Spurs who came out on top via a first half strike from Brennan Johnson.
The result marked Tottenham's first trophy since 2008 and condemned United to a season without silverware. After a disappointing start to life at Old Trafford, the match was considered a must-win for Ruben Amorim, but his side failed to get it done and he might have himself to blame for that. Here are four crucial mistakes that the head coach made during his side's Europa League final loss.
Playing Leny Yoro Out of Position
The defender was played on the right side of a back three
Leny Yoro
Considered one of the more promising young defenders in football, Leny Yoro has the ability to make a real difference whenever he's on the football pitch. He has to be playing in a position that suits him to do so, though. Starting the game against Tottenham, Amorim opted to start Luke Shaw on the left-side of his back three and had Yoro slotted in on the right of the trio as a result.
Shaw, while he's been a key servant over the years, didn't have the legs to keep up with Spurs and the decision to line up the back three like that ultimately cost United. Their fans felt so too, with one taking to X (Twitter) and saying: "I don’t get how he’s started him [Shaw]? He’s been poor every game. I’d have started Yoro at LCB," while another shared that sentiment and posted: "Shaw's been poor since his return to the team not sure why Amorim has started him, Yoro better as LCB."
Playing Bruno Fernandes Deep
It prevented the star impacting the game offensively
Kobbie Mainoo
One bright spark in United's disastrous campaign this year was Bruno Fernandes' performances. The Portuguese maestro has been at his creative best this season and if it wasn't for him, the club could have been in a much worse situation heading into the summer. At his best, Fernandes pulls strings in an attacking midfield role and looks to make a major impact on the game offensively.
Inexplicably, though, Amorim started Mason Mount in an attacking midfield role and had Fernandes playing deeper, in a more central midfield role, instead. It nullified the star and he failed to make the same sort of impact in the final third that he had so many times previously. One supporter called Amorim out for it on social media, posting: "Any manager who puts has Bruno Fernandes dropping deep to pick the ball up should not be a manager."
Waiting So Long to Make Substitutions
He didn't make his first change until the 71st minute
Ruben Amorim
After a dull first half, United found themselves losing 1-0 shortly before half-time when Johnson poked them in front. The start of the second half saw Spurs protect their lead comfortably and it became quite clear that United needed to make some changes to try and mix things up, giving themselves a chance to find an equaliser.
Amorim didn't see it that way, though, and he waited far too long to make any changes in the game. In fact, it wasn't until the 71st minute when he made his first two substitutions, bringing Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee off the bench. The two provided an immediate impact. United took control of the game and pushed Spurs onto the backfoot in search of their equaliser. He then waited another 15 minutes to introduce Diogo Dalot and a further five for Kobbie Mainoo, but it was too little too late. One supporter was furious, saying: "I don’t care what anyone says but those substitutions were made way too late."
Not Playing Kobbie Mainoo
The midfielder was left on the bench
Kobbie Mainoo
The last couple of years haven't been kind to United, but one major positive was the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo out of the club's academy. The midfielder quickly burst onto the scene and looked like one of the most promising stars to come out of their youth set-up in years. This season, he took a little step back compared to his debut campaign, but he's still a difference-maker.
He was forced to watch on for the majority of the Europa League final, though. He was left on the bench for almost 90 minutes as United struggled in the middle of the park. He was eventually brought on, but the damage had already been done.