“I cannot…” Rúben Amorim addresses Manchester United moment that left commentators stunned vs Fulham

Rúben Amorim addressed a moment that stunned commentators during Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Fulham away from home during a cold and wet Sunday evening.

Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday evening, with Lisandro Martínez’s deflected strike proving decisive.

United struggled to create in a cautious first half, while Amad was kept quiet by an impressive Antonee Robinson.

The second half brought little improvement until Martínez’s speculative effort in the 78th minute looped over Bernd Leno.

Amad thought he’d added a second in stoppage time, only for it to be ruled offside. Despite an uninspiring display, Rúben Amorim’s side earned a crucial three points.

Amorim addresses risky tackle from Martínez

Although Martínez has left West London as the only goalscorer and proud owner of the Player of the Match award, a lot has also been made of his challenge on Adama Traore in the second half.

With 60 minutes on the clock, Martínez went in with both feet for a challenge on the winger, and TNT Sports’ commentators were left stunned by his actions.

Despite Martínez’s winner, the press made a point to ask Amorim how he feels about the 27-year-old often playing right on the edge.

The United head coach was asked specifically about the tackle on Traore and if he is worried that Martínez may start crossing the line too often.

“I cannot spend two months saying that we need to be more aggressive and fight more and then I say to Lisandro, ‘don’t fight too much’,” Amorim explained in reply.

“So it’s a balance. The important thing is that Licha doesn’t want to harm another footballer, that is the most important thing. He wants to win and he shows this every time.”

Amorim impressed with Martínez’s recent attacking contributions

Martínez has contributed to three goals so far in 2025, having scored against Liverpool and Fulham as well as assisting Bruno Fernandes’ winning goal against Rangers in midweek.

Read More: Owen Hargreaves raves about “brilliant” Manchester United moment vs Fulham, Ruben Amorim completely agrees

It has been noticeable that the Argentina international has been stepping up into midfield and even the attacking line when needed, with his left foot often a great tool in possession.

“Yes,” Amorim said when asked if he wants to see this from marteinz and his other centre-backs more often.

“They are nowadays sometimes the midfielders because you don’t often have a lot of space between the lines and you have to find this space. They are the players who have the game in front and they have to be the midfielders, so it’s really important.

“I think when the centre defenders play well with the ball, we play well. It’s something that Licha does really well, he can take the ball. He has to continue and the other guys have to improve also in that area.”

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 released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.