Manchester United and Bournemouth played out one of the best Premier League matches in recent memory at Old Trafford on Monday evening.
The Red Devils had lost their previous two games against Bournemouth at Old Trafford 3-0. Bournemouth actually managed to find the back of the net on four occasions this time round, but it wasn't enough as the match ended in a 4-4 draw.
In a topsy-turvy game which swung one way and then the other, Man United thought they had won it with 11 minutes remaining when Matheus Cunha made it 4-3 to the hosts.
However, United could not hold on as Eli Junior Kroupi restored parity with six minutes remaining and ensured the two sides would share the spoils.
'Awful' Statistic Emerges About Man Utd After Bournemouth Draw
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim staring.
Man Utd spent big in the summer to improve their attack and the money they spent has paid dividends. United have now hit the back of the net 30 times in their opening 16 Premier League matches of the season; only Man City have scored more.
But it has been their defence which has been letting them down this season. They've now conceded 26 goals this term; only five teams have let in more.
Unfortunately for Amorim and United, their defence has been extremely poor throughout his reign. In fact, United have kept just six clean sheets in the Portuguese manager's 43 matches in charge. Of managers that have taken charge of at least 40 Premier League games, only six have a worse clean sheet ratio than the 40-year-old.
Jamie Carragher described the stat as 'awful' when he saw it after the match. He added, per the Metro: "It’s a big problem for them.
"They had problems at both ends of the pitch last season and we highlighted before the game that they’re improving in attack. We saw that again tonight.
"Some of the attacking players from Manchester United were fantastic. They had a lot of young defenders out there as well tonight, which didn’t help."
Ruben Amorim Dismisses Adding to His Defence in January
Ruben Amorim
Amorim was asked about United's defensive woes after the match. He played down the idea that United needed to sign reinforcements and instead intends to focus on improving the 'quality' players he already has at his disposal.
"No, I think we have talent at the back, we have quality players at the back," Amorim replied when a reporter asked if United needed to invest in their defence in January.
"We just need to be better as a team defending. We are improving, but I think it’s not the same situation. We just need to work together and to improve our players because they have the quality to defend better."
He added: "I think we are pressing better, we are controlling the game better. Far from our goal, we are lacking in quality when we defend our goal. It’s something we need to address, of course.
"It’s different when you suffer so many goals and the opponent doesn’t have the same amount of [chances], it’s really frustrating, but we need to work a lot in the way we defend the box."
Next up for Man United is a very tough away trip to Villa Park to take on high-flying Aston Villa. Amorim's side will have to be at their very best if they are to come away from the Midlands with all three points.