Manchester United’s five things noticed vs Fulham, one Rúben Amorim player is put to shame

One Manchester United was put to shame as Rúben Amorim’s team fell to defeat on penalties in the FA Cup on Sunday evening at Old Trafford.

Rúben Amorim chose to start Christian Eriksen in attack as Manchester United lined up to face Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round, hosting the London club at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

The tie started with United looking to dominate, although both sides looked very sloppy with their final passes and finishing. However, moments before half-time, the visitors struck as Calvin Bassey scored after poor defending from United during a corner.

In the second half, Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Victor Lindelöf to replace Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte, with Eriksen dropping into midfield. However, Fulham continued to dominate with 30 minutes left on the clock.

Chido Obi and Casemiro were then thrown on to replace Eriksen and Rasmus Højlund, and almost immediately, Bruno Fernandes threw his side back to the tie with a fantastic low finish. Although United were offered chances to finish the game, a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes saw the sides head into extra time.

In the final 30 minutes, United dominated, with Obi and Garnacho coming close, but the tie went to penalties after neither team could convert. Both sides converted their first three penalties before Bernd Leno denied Lindelöf, and the same fate fell to Joshua Zirkzee as United crashed out of the cup.

#1 – Eriksen’s rare start didn’t pay off

It was a surprise to a few when United announced that Eriksen was starting his first game in 31 days, with Amorim explaining that Garnacho had a knock and he wanted to use the Dane’s different profile to give the side a new dynamic.

In the game’s opening minutes, Eriksen looked to be pulling the strings, but his performance dwindled as the game headed towards the break. In the second half, Eriksen dropped deeper to accommodate Garnacho, but failed to impact.

He was then replaced by Casemiro with just over 20 minutes remaining, with the Brazilian being a much more effective player on the ball.

#2 – Zirkzee and Højlund’s dynamic didn’t work

During the opening few minutes of the tie, it became very clear that Zirkzee and Højlund had been instructed to interchange where possible, while Eriksen stayed as a left-sided attacker.

In the first half, both players looked a little disconnected from each other, and although Zirkzee played fairly well at points, the side went into the tunnel once again without a goal from open play.

Once Højlund came off in the second half, United’s game elevated and so did Zirkzee’s, although this will have in part been down to the extra urgency United showed as a whole after Fernandes equalised.

#3 – Sloppy final execution all round

In the first 45 minutes, as mentioned above, United were very sloppy with the execution when it came to the final third. Zirkzee, Fernandes, and Højlund had chances to build or finish attacks for the side, but poor finishing and passing prevented this.

In the second half, the trend continued, with United fans screaming for some quality after the team failed to come out of the blocks at Old Trafford.

Even once United started to dominate as the tie went on, there were still several sloppy passes and shots that made life much more complicated for Amorim’s men.

#4 – Fernandes is a one-man team

No matter how poorly United play, Fernandes’ form and performances seem completely untied, and this was on show once again at Old Trafford.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Fulham (FA Cup)

While other players continued to have dodgy performances, with good moments littered in between lengths of bad or below-par decision-making, Fernandes continued to work hard to pull his side back into the game, then even harder to give the club a chance to win it.

Despite the result, Fernandes was awarded the Player of the Match award, and his commitment and brilliance for the club cannot be questioned (please note, Roy Keane).

#5 – Obi puts Højlund to shame

When Obi replaced Højlund with 20 minutes to play, it took a long time for the 17-year-old to get his first touch on the ball, which is an issue Højlund has been suffering from in the last few months.

However, as the teenager grew into the game, he became more and more of a handful, creating his own chance just before the end of regulation time before being denied by Leno in extra time.

Unlike Højlund, Obi looked much more connected to his teammates, especially Zirkzee. Although it is still too far-fetched to call for the youngster to start, he is undoubtedly cementing himself as an option off the bench for Amorim for the remainder of this season.

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