Manchester United were a completely different team after half-time at Selhurst Park, and Ruben Amorim deserves credit.
After losing to 10-man Everton, Ruben Amorim needed to lead his Manchester United side back to victory on Sunday at Selhurst Park, and he did exactly this.
United claimed a huge 2-1 win over Crystal Palace away from home, which has been a notoriously unhappy hunting ground recently for the Red Devils.
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United’s goals both came from set-piece situations, with Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount on the score-sheet for the Red Devils.
It was a second-half comeback that claimed the three points for the Red Devils, and Amorim was at least partly responsible for the turnaround.
Manchester United players celebrate win vs Crystal Palace.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim reveals his half-time message to Manchester United players
United had some excellent second-half performers, but ultimately, Carlos Fernandes is the man who should get lots of praise for the set-piece improvement at the club.
But United’s performance was better all around in the second half, and when asked about the reasons for his, Amorim explained what he told his players in the dressing room, as quoted by Samuel Luckhurst.
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“I just say to the players we need to be more alive”, Amorim said, which is a verdict many fans would also have come up with after watching the slow and frustrating opening 45 minutes.
Are you surprised by the two Man Utd players who won the most duels?
Player Duels won vs Palace
Joshua Zirkzee 8
Diogo Dalot 8
Casemiro 7
Amad 7
Matthijs de Ligt 6
Noussair Mazraoui 6
United showed more intensity in the second half, won more duels and went head-to-head physically with Palace, something that was absent in the first 45.
Manchester United cannot continue being inconsistent within matches
Against Palace, United were terrible in the first half before then improving; however, this isn’t a new phenomenon for the Red Devils under Amorim.
United have been good in one half, bad in the other all season, as evidenced by throwing away games against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, and almost losing a 3-0 lead to Brighton.
This isn’t sustainable for United going forward, and whether it is a mental issue or a system issue, Amorim needs to fix it.