Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim blamed his first Premier League defeat since taking charge on their set-piece deficiencies.
United were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Wednesday after initially holding out for a goalless first half.
They were eventually undone by two corners, with the hosts similarly coming close to a third through Mikel Merino.
Amorim's side, meanwhile, failed to convert on their own set-piece opportunities after seeing Matthijs de Ligt's header brilliantly saved by David Raya.
“The set pieces changed the game, we could have been more aggressive against Arsenal. Until the set pieces, the match didn't have too many chances for either side, the set pieces ruined the game,” Amorim said. BBC Match of the Day.
“They can put a lot of players close to the goalkeeper and it is almost impossible to fight for the ball, but we have to manage to defend them and we already know we have to be better.
“We were committed and lost from set pieces. If Matthijs can score at that moment, the momentum would be different.
“We tried to play, but they are a very organized team and it is difficult to score. I felt the players were in control of the match, the set pieces changed the game in the second half.”
1 – Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has suffered his first league defeat since December 2023 (Sporting CP 2-3 Vitória Guimarães), with tonight's result ending a 34-match unbeaten run for the Portuguese in the league competition (W31 D3 ). Grounding. pic.twitter.com/h0Wx30TRcq
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 4, 2024
Manchester United defender De Ligt agreed with his manager and suggested they performed well defensively apart from conceding goals.
“In the defensive phase: the number of chances we had without the set plays [was good]he told MUTV. 'In the end we played a little more attacking and conceded some chances at the end.
But overall, we have to – and we will – improve offensively. We need to know what everyone is doing and we could have hurt them a lot more.
“We are still quite early with the new coach, but there are still positives. Overall, I am very disappointed with the lack of points.”
Their trip to the Emirates Stadium was Amorim's fourth match in charge in all competitions. De Ligt is aware that he has had little time and is confident that improvements will come.
“We are on the way to improving as a team and I think the manager has said that too. If we do it in a certain way we might have a better chance of getting results now,” he said.
“I think the way we are going now is of course not perfect yet and everyone has to improve a lot and get used to the new system, but you see certain things that are improving.”
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