Manchester United suffered a dismal defeat against Tottenham Hotspur with a pathetic 1-0 defeat in the Europa League final on Wednesday evening.
Rúben Amorim named Leny Yoro and Mason Mount in his starting XI as Manchester United lined up to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, with a trophy and Champions League qualification on the line.
The tie started with Spurs posing an attacking threat on André Onana’s goal, but once 20 minutes had passed, United began to try to imprint themselves on the game.
However, just before half time, Tottenham struck first, as an effort from Brennan Johnson was shouldered past Onana and, after a deflection from Luke Shaw, the Welshman nudged the ball into the corner of the net from close range.
With United failing to impress in the second half, Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee in place of Mason Mount and Rasmus Højlund with just 20 minutes to play.
Despite the injection of energy, United’s players still looked completely off the ball. Tottenham defended United’s pathetic onslaught at goal with poise, ease and command, sailing to a well-deserved victory as Amorim’s men confirm they will not be in the Champions League next season.
#1 – Dealing with Spurs’ pressure on the back line
With United playing their usual back three with two wing-backs, Ange Postecoglou’s men set up to hit Amorim’s defence with high intensity and pressure to force turnovers in the final third.
With United’s defence looking shaky, Spurs capitalised by continuing to throw balls into United’s box, eventually finding their way through with the opening goal.
In the second half, they stepped off, but even with Tottenham inviting pressure, they were able to comfortably see out United’s poor attacking threat and secure the coveted trophy.
#2 – Amad being United’s only significant threat was damaging
In the opening few minutes of the tie, it became immediately apparent that United’s main and only significant threat was Amad, with the club looking to get him isolated one against one with Destiny Udogie as often as possible.
However, although he was able to penetrate the box a few times in the first half, Amad was mostly drowned out from being able to deliver any threatening final balls or shots on goal.
In the second half, Amad was so much quieter, and United just crumbled into nothing. It was a shocking effort from Amorim’s front line.
#3 – United were second to literally everything
No matter if it was a cross, a pass, a touch, or a second ball, United were slow to literally everything on the night. All Tottenham needed to do was surround the ball, block the passing lanes, and keep their composure, and United played themselves straight into a loss.
No matter what happened or what United attempted, they just could not win a single thing. No passion, no desire, no hunger to win.
#4 – Amorim’s changes came too late
Aside from the lacklustre performances United’s starting players put in on the night, Amorim’s substitutions came around 10 minutes too late.
Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Europa League final)
It was immediately clear in the second half that, despite any words Amorim may have said in the dressing room, the players had not shifted, and United continued to float toward a loss.
The head coach should have recognised this and sent United’s refreshments on with more time left in the tie, but they came too late.
#5 – Three players let Amorim down on the night, but he let himself down too
While all of United’s player’s underperformed on the night, there were three players in particular who made it almost impossible for United to play on the night.
In the early moments, Onana’s indecisiveness made it almost impossible for United’s defence to settle, while Rasmus Højlund’s lack of conviction or ability up front made it hard for United to string attacks together. Casemiro, in the middle of the park, was too sloppy on the ball.
However, Amorim also let himself down with his lack of tweaks in the game. So often his tweaks and substitutions have done well for United, but it seemed as if he could not work out Postecoglou’s side.
It was a pathetic performance from all involved, with United deserved losers on the night.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.