The boss of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, thinks that his team deserved more from their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, but admitted their own ineffectiveness in attack cost them the game.
The Red Devils underwent their 13th defeat of the season thanks to the solo effort of former player Anthony Elaga, but were unhappy not to take something from the match after getting closer to several chances.
Addressing TNT Sports, Amorim thought about a frustrating evening for United, who dominated possession and created chances but failed to find a breakthrough.
The Portuguese manager said: “We checked the game, but we already knew that this team could score goals. When they scored, we changed the game a little compared to what they want.
“We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist was not there. Then, if we don’t have that, we cannot score goals.”
Amorim: “We must be better in the last third”
It was a familiar story for United this season, according to Amorim, with his team which had trouble transforming domination into goals.
“This season is like that,” he said. “We had a lot of shots on goal, we pushed the opponent to the last third, but in the last third, we had a lack of quality.
“We have to win matches, and we deserve more in this match, it’s clear, but it’s our fault and we have to be better in the last third. We should have won this match, not even drawn, but in the end, we lost three points.”
No more counterattack problems
The vulnerability of United to counterattacks was again exposed while the forest took advantage of their limited opportunities.
Amorim added: “We know the characters of the team, and a goal can put them in a situation they like. We have to score two goals to win a match, and it’s frustrating because it was the start of the match. We helped them win three points.”
Despite the disappointment, Amorim insists that he sees progress and remains focused on the next challenges of the Premier League and the Europa League.
“I see him in the match. I don’t lie to myself; everyone can say what he means, but we have to win matches. We are going to the next game. We have the Europa League, and we have the next League match, and that’s the goal.”
