Ruben Amorim insisted he does not need to strengthen Manchester United’s defence despite conceding four goals in a frantic draw with Bournemouth.
A breathtaking contest had United take the lead three times and featured three late second-half goals from minutes 77 to 84 starting with Bruno Fernandes’s free-kick. This made it 3-3 after United first went ahead just before the quarter-hour through Amad Diallo.
Antoine Semenyo equalised for Bournemouth on 40 minutes, Casemiro gave United the lead again on 45+4, Evalinson levelled less than a minute into the second half, then Marcus Tavernier made it 3-2 to the visitors with 52 minutes gone. Now came Fernandes’s goal before Matheus Cunha put United 4-3 ahead of the substitute Eli Junior Kroup’s leveller.
Mistakes by Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot led to goals, while questionable positioning by two more United defenders – Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro – allowed Evalinson’s finish. Tavernier’s free-kick also benefited from a faulty wall and Senne Lammens not being able to save despite the low shot coming on his side.
“We have talent at the back and quality players, we just have to have better defending,” the head coach said. “We took care of the offence. We have the characteristics, we just need to work together.
“You think we lost the two points in the second half, but I think we lost the two points in the first half. We should have more goals.”
Amorim pointed to naivety regarding losing the lead three times. “It is understanding the moments of the game,” he said. “We need to start the second half in a different way.”
Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother, Jordan Kwadwo Osei Mainoo-Hames, wore a “Free Kobbie Mainoo” T-shirt to the game and posted the image on his Instagram stories.
While Mainoo came on after 60 minutes for Casemiro, Amorim is yet to start the midfielder in any of United’s 16 Premier League games.
