There is one Manchester United player who stood out as The Red Devils beat Manchester City 2-1 in a Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday, December 15, to further jeopardize the latter’s position. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are in crisis have now won only one of their last 11 matches across all competitions.
They also find themselves out of the top-four and are currently fifth in the league table with 27 points from 16 matches. It is nine adrift of Liverpool’s tally and the Reds have a game in hand. The Cityzens led 1-0 against United till the 88th minute, but then conceded a couple of goals to lose the match.
On the other hand, Ruben Amorim became the first Manchester United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson to beat Manchester City in his first ever Manchester derby. The Red Devils are in the 13th position with 22 points from 16 matches.
Amad Diallo: A Manchester United Player In-Form
Amad, the 22-year-old from Ivory Coast, earned a penalty to pave the way for United’s equalizer on Sunday and then scored the match-winner. He now has four goals and six assists in 23 matches, which makes him probably the best-performing Manchester United player this season.
Amad has been playing behind the striker in Manchester United’s 3-4-2-1 formation, and his mobility and ability to chase any ball going in his direction stood out once again in the match against United. Lisandro Martinez’s long pass led to Manchester United’s second goal after Matheus Nunes’ horrible backpass earned them the penalty.
Prior to that, Mason Mount, who had started alongside Amad for United, had to leave the pitch, having suffered an injury. That was a blessing in disguise for the visitors, as it allowed Bruno Fernandes to move forward from a holding role and gave their defence more solidity with Kobbie Mainoo’s introduction into the game.
With Mainoo on the pitch, Manchester United started pressing effectively as a team and no longer allowed Manchester City to play out from the back with ease. With the Cityzens not being able to press high with the customary intensity that defined their playing style until a couple of months ago, United managed to crawl back into the game.
Still, it was Manchester City’s defensive folly that allowed Manchester United to earn three valuable points. However, the intensity in United’s pressing and their passing precision and speed showed that there has been some improvement in them under Amorim.
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Manchester United Key Upcoming Holiday Match
Manchester United will face Newcastle United on 30th December, which should prove to be a stiff challenge. Prior to that, the Red Devils will face AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers in two other Premier League matches.
Winning both of those matches will give them a great chance of getting into the top half of the league table. Amorim should not satisfied with anything less than a top-six finish, as it will enable his side to play in Europe next season. It remains to be seen whether the morale-boosting win over Manchester City can motivate Amorim’s men further for their upcoming matches.