EPL: Why Man Utd lost 3-0 to Man City – Ruben Amorim

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has expressed frustration after his side’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, blaming avoidable defensive lapses for the loss.

United fell behind early as Phil Foden opened the scoring with a header, before Erling Haaland netted twice in the second half to seal a dominant win for City.

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Amorim acknowledged his team’s shortcomings, particularly in defensive organization and transition play.

“If you look at the goals, we can avoid those goals. That was the biggest difference,” Amorim said. “We can do better, especially the second goal. We suffered goals we can avoid.”

The Portuguese coach pointed to poor execution during key transition moments and a lack of clarity in defensive responsibilities.

“The third goal, there was a lack of quality in the connection. People didn’t know who was going to the ball, and then the guy was free to score,” he added. “The first one, he is in the middle of four guys – we have to be more aggressive in that moment.”

Amorim emphasized the need for near-perfection in such high-stakes matches. “In these kinds of games, we need to be perfect, and today we were not. The frustration is always the same – with the chances we had, we need to score.”

Looking ahead, Amorim stressed that improvement is necessary across the board. “We need to work on a lot of things before the next game,” he concluded.