Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim acknowledged that the Red Devils put up a more spirited display during their FA Cup third-round victory over Arsenal on Sunday compared to their Premier League defeat to the Gunners in December.
United suffered a 2-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium, with both goals coming from corner-kicks. This defeat marked the beginning of a challenging period for Amorim’s Devils, during which their struggles with set-pieces became increasingly apparent.
However, United have shown significant improvement since the start of 2025. They delivered a strong performance against Liverpool at Anfield and went on to eliminate Arsenal from the FA Cup on penalties despite having been reduced to ten men since the hour mark.
“I think we played, especially in the first half, better [than] in the first game [against Arsenal]. We were better in set-pieces, more aggressive. We show different spirit, even with ten men. We are improving on that aspect,” Amorim said.
“I think we had a lot of difficulties in the beginning of the game to control the game with the ball and then we suffered, not big opportunities, but we suffered running after the ball, especially to switch of play, to win the first pressure of Arsenal.
“But then we can take in this moment, take the game to a different level when we talk about aggressivity. And that is a very good thing. We managed to score and then I felt in that moment we were able to improve with the ball, but with the [player] sent off [it] was really hard on us. And then we suffered all together, defending very well, with some opportunities from Arsenal.
“The players were really tired, but I felt since the first minute that today was our day. And I felt also a connection with our fans, our staff. It was a very good day for us in that aspect. We need to improve the way we play football.”
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