Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland: Much-improved Red Devils secure their first clean sheet of the season
It would be difficult to describe any match right now as a routine win for Manchester United. So victory-starved are they. But on Saturday Ruben Amorim was able to breathe a short sigh of relief as his side kept their heads down and secured a straightforward victory over Sunderland.
One criticism of this United side this season, among many of course, is that they tend to start games well and then blow themselves out within the first 10-15 minutes. Against the Black Cats they did start on the front foot, Mason Mount firing in the 8th minute to put them ahead before Benjamin Sesko made it two-nil with his first Old Trafford goal, but they didn’t slack off. They maintained their intensity and ended with their first clean sheet of the season.
The biggest news ahead of the game was Amorim starting £18m summer signing Senne Lammens for his debut, ahead of embattled Turkey international Altay Bayindir.
“It’s rotation,” Amorim said pre-match. “Everybody has to be ready to play. We need to win this game, every opponent is different, so we try to find the best characteristics to win every match.” The Belgian impressed, looking confident all through, claiming long balls to the delight of the Old Trafford faithful.
At one point when he rushed out, soared high to snuff out the threat and then lay down comfortably on the turf, the ball nestled comfortably in his arms, the home supporters cheered. They hadn’t seen a proper goalkeeper literally in years. The little things excite these days at Manchester United.
Another perhaps-not-so-surprising choice by Amorim was to drop Matheus Cunha in favour of Mount. No so surprising because the Brazilian is yet to fully enter his stride at Old Trafford, having not delivered a goal contribution yet, and Amorim has been battered about the overloads opposition managers keep creating against him in midfield.
Against Sunderland, he had Mount play half forward and half in the midfield area. When United were not in possession he was supporting Bruno and Casemiro in midfield, with Amorim’s side taking a 4-4-2 shape that saw Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo at the head of the press.
It worked. United kept Sunderland muzzled, with more than 60 per cent possession in the first half and with all the chances. Lammens had an extremely comfortable debut, and when United were in possession Mount would step forward to the edge of the penalty area. That was the position he held with less than 10 minutes played when Mbeumo picked him up for the first goal, a wonderful control and then quick shot, the technique excellently executed.
United had belief and it didn’t die down. Sesko got his second goal for the club when Diogo Dalot sent in a long throw, now back in fashion, and it caused confusion in the Sunderland box before Sesko poked home.
United created more chances and should have scored. Amad tried a curler, Mbeumo repeating one shortly afterwards. Bruno turned at the edge of the box and beautifully lifted the ball towards the top right corner, but Robin Roefs pulled off an unbelievable save to just tip it onto the post. Sunderland were better after the break but United kept things well under control, Lammens mostly unbothered until a routine save to deny Chemsdine Talbi towards the end.
