Viktoria Plzen vs Man Utd LIVE: Europa League result and reaction as Hojlund brace ensures win
Ruben Amorim’s side look to bounce back from consecutive defeats with an away clash in Europe
Manchester United weathered another mistake from Andre Onana to complete a comeback victory over Viktoria Plzen to move closer to winning automatic qualification for the Europa League round of 16.
The first half in the Czech Republic has a lacklustre affair as United controlled possession but created little opportunities. In comparison the hosts looked sharp on the counter-attack and weren’t shy to shoot.
Plzen were then gifted the opening goal in the second half as Onana attempted to play out from back. The United goalkeeper gave up the ball and allowed Matej Vydra to tap in from close range.
Ruben Amorim switched things up almost immediately and brought on the substitutions. Mason Mount was a bright spark but Rasmus Hojlund changed the game. He got on the end of passes from Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes to equalise and then win the game late in the day.
Relive the Europa League action with our live blog below:
Is winning Europa League the best way to get Champions League football?
Ruben Amorim was asked this question in his pre-match press conference and replied: “I as a coach I cannot focus on just that. The way we can see in the future, titles or something. Our goal is to win our Premier League. That is our goal.
“Of course you can do the math and you can understand that for a big club like us to be in the Champions League is so important. You can see and look at the table that from the Europa League, maybe it is easier.
“You can then perhaps take this information for this context but I am not focused on that and our goal is to win the Premier League, not just to go to the Champions League.
“To go [to] the Champions League is an important point to win the Premier League, that is really clear. But for me, the most important thing is to win and to see something different in the team in every game.”
Ruben Amorim rues lack of ‘heart’ in Man Utd loss to Nottingham Forest
Ruben Amorim rued Manchester United’s lack of ‘quality’ and ‘heart’ during a 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford with the result United’s first home defeat to Forest in 30 years.
The head coach also urged players and supporters to trust the process as he pledged to turn things around like he did at Sporting Lisbon.
Erik ten Hag’s successor enjoyed a promising start to life in the hotseat, but repeatedly attempted to manage expectations as wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton followed a draw at Ipswich.
Ruben Amorim rues lack of ‘heart’ in Man Utd loss to Nottingham Forest
Onana errors not to blame
Ruben Amorim refused to blame Andre Onana for a couple of mistakes which led to goals against Nottingham Forest and claimed that the team need to help out the goalkeeper.
He said: “Onana already saved us a lot of times, so we have to find a way when this happens to Onana or to Altay (Bayindir) or to Tom (Heaton).
“We have to turn around and to score two goals to help our goalkeeper, the same way that he saves us, for example, in Ipswich. We have to continue. We lose as a team, we have to improve in all aspects of the game.”
Amorim needs time to address United’s faults
The Portuguese boss said that it would take time to address all of United’s faults. After the defeat to Forest he said: “We already knew (it would be tough). It will be a long journey, but we want to win because this is a massive club.
“You feel it when you lose one game, it’s really hard for everybody. I can understand that. I can feel it in the stadium after the first goal.
“We understand the context, but we have to keep (working) in the same way, doing the same things. The same words I have here with Everton, I have today. Continue to focus on the performance.
“We need to improve in a lot of aspects of the game and continue to do the same things tomorrow in training.”
Hojlund on Forest defeat
“Annoying to concede three at home against Forest,” Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund said after that defeat, “It was some irritating goals, you can say. Then again we need to do better, all of us. It’s not only individuals. We all need to do better and, yeah, today it could have been much, much better.
“It’s a bit annoying. They score very early in the second half and also very early in the first half, which is sort of killing the momentum a little bit and the confidence as well.
“I think we play alright in the first half after we get the first goal, but it kills the game a little bit that they get the two goals (after half-time).
“But, then again, we play at home and we’ve still got, I think, 35 minutes left, so obviously we need to do more and see if we could have at least got a point.”
Rio Ferdinand wants Man Utd to be as ‘brutal’ with players as Dan Ashworth exits
Rio Ferdinand has questioned Manchester United’s decision to part company with sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months and called on club co-owners Ineos to be just as “brutal” with their under-performing playing squad.
Ashworth left the club over the weekend, with his exit seen as part of a mass restructuring at Old Trafford, which has seen around 250 staff members made redundant since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Rio Ferdinand wants Man Utd to be as ‘brutal’ with players as Dan Ashworth exits
Malacia on Amorim
“There’s a lot of changing. But I like [it] and what I know about this manager is he’s very clear, for all of us,” Tyrell Malacia explained during his pre-match press conference. “That’s the most important thing, we know what we have to do in the game.”
Malacia feels he is improving
Tyrell Malacia feels he is improving game-by-game after his return from injury and hopes to impress Ruben Amorim by understanding the manager’s system.
Speaking before tonight’s game he said: “[By] training every day, I have to improve week by week by playing games of course. “I could already see a difference between my first game against Bodo/Glimt and Arsenal. Other than that, as a team, we are improving and trying to adapt to the playing style of the manager. I’m happy.”
Amorim focused on improving United’s players
Ruben Amorim rejected the notion that Man Utd need to sell players in their squad and replace them with ones more suited to the manager’s style of play.
Instead he says he is focused on improving those that are already at Old Trafford. Amorim said: “No, I’m really focused on to see my players and to understand my players. I think that is one of the problems of the clubs.
“We have to focus on what we have. We have to focus on the academy and also to have a clear profile when you get the players. So, it’s a lot of details you have to manage. You can see at set-pieces, sometimes you look at our team and we are a small team compared to others.
“Every detail counts and we have to be very clear first in the profiles, arrange all the process and then go to that phase of buying and selling players.
“But we have, like Ty (Malacia), international players, good players and we need time to teach them our ideas and then we will see because this is a massive club. If we don’t win, the coach goes, the player goes, so you have to know that.
“We have to improve as a team, we have to arrange a lot of things in our club before thinking just in buying or selling players. There’s a lot to do, so let’s focus on improving our players, improving our academy and then see.”
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