One Manchester United star proved many wrong with a fantastic performance against Sunderland as Rúben Amorim’s men secured a vital three points.
Manchester United head into the international break in high spirits after Rúben Amorim’s side claimed a 2–0 win over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
United began brightly and quickly took control of the match, with Mason Mount opening the scoring thanks to a smart touch and composed finish. Amorim’s men dominated much of the first half, though Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs produced a series of excellent saves to keep the hosts at bay.
Benjamin Šeško doubled the lead on the half-hour mark with a close-range strike, and while Sunderland were briefly awarded a penalty just before the break, the decision was overturned following an on-field review.
The second half was more evenly contested as both sides fought for momentum. Amorim introduced Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Matheus Cunha to inject energy down United’s left, and although they pressed for a third goal, it never arrived.
Strong defensive performances from Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw, coupled with a fine late save from debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens, ensured United secured their first clean sheet of the season and three valuable Premier League points.
Amad was fantastic vs Sunderland
A lot has been made of Amad’s form so far this season, with the Ivorian failing to settle amid Amorim’s need to play him in several different positions. However, against Sunderland, the 23-year-old was fantastic.
Playing as a right wing-back, Amad was sensational when going forward, but also contributed his fair share of defensive duties, proving many who doubted his ability to play the role wrong.
Amad completed all 38 of his 38 attempted passes, creating three chances and having two shots on goal. He was very involved, with 62 touches across the 90 minutes, with five of these coming inside Sunderland’s box.
As for his defending, Amad won both of his two attempted tackles, also making two clearances, six recoveries, and eight of his 14 attempted duels.
Amad and Mbeumo’s partnership is growing
There were many questions about what the future would hold for Amad when United announced the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo for an initial £65 million fee in July, as the Cameroon international was set to start in Amad’s previous position.
Across United’s opening few games, Mbeumo and Amad looked a little disconnected, sometimes making the wrong runs or colliding with ideas, which caused attacks on the right-hand side to break down.
However, against Sunderland, the duo looked much more in sync. When Mbeumo had the ball, Amad was looking to keep width to allow space to open up, and the former did the same thing when Amad was in possession, too.
Against Liverpool, United will have a much tougher test on their hands, and both players will have a lot more defending to do. However, if they can continue this good form heading into the festive fixture list, they can cause havoc against any Premier League team.
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