Tribal Football

Amorim secures nervy first win as Man Utd manager against Bodo/Glimt

Ryan Fisher
Hojlund bags brace as Man Utd survive Bodo/Glimt fight-back
Hojlund bags brace as Man Utd survive Bodo/Glimt fight-backAction Plus
Ruben Amorim (39) registered his first win as Manchester United head coach in a thriller, as his side recovered from a goal down to beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 at Old Trafford, extending their unbeaten home run to six matches across all competitions.

Amorim’s dugout debut saw his side race into a lead within 82 seconds of kick-off against Ipswich on Sunday, but his side were even quicker out of the blocks here, needing just 49 seconds to hit the front.

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Alejandro Garnacho may have applied the finishing touch into an empty net, but all credit belongs to Rasmus Hojlund after he put Bodo goalkeeper Nikita Haikin under pressure and dispossessed him in his own 18-yard box. 

However, United failed to convert a string of openings following their opener, and they were duly punished by a recurring problem, conceding twice in quick succession in Europe to squander the lead for the fourth time in five UEL matches.

First, Hakon Evjen found a pocket of space between the defensive lines on the edge of the area and masterfully curled an effort into the top corner, before a long ball in behind Tyrell Malacia – starting his first senior match in well over a year – saw the Dutchman left for dead by Philip Zinckernagel, who had enough left in the tank to drive a clinical finish underneath Andre Onana.

The largest contingent of away fans for a European tie at Old Trafford in modern history were making their voices heard, with Amorim scratching his head at his side being caught short at the back for both goals.

The shell-shocked hosts needed a response, and on the stroke of half-time, Hojlund brilliantly provided one.

Noussair Mazraoui’s excellent footwork gave him the space to deliver a cross, which in one motion was controlled and buried into the bottom corner by Hojlund between two defenders.

 

 

Momentum was with the hosts following the restart, and they were inches away from restoring the lead when Mason Mount curled against the upright.

Moments later, the Red Devils were back in front, however, with a slick move that saw Mount release Manuel Ugarte down the right culminating in the Uruguayan squaring for Hojlund to double his tally for the night with a simple finish into the far corner.

 

 

Amorim’s half-time team talk had clearly resonated with his players, who looked a far more cohesive unit in the second half, yet establishing a two-goal lead looked beyond them as Garnacho spurned a quartet of chances from promising positions, while Marcus Rashford also dragged wide when well placed in the box.

With second-half substitutes Casemiro and Luke Shaw in the back three, United looked far from settled in defence, but late scares were few and far between, with Onana saving a stoppage-time free-kick to preserve their second successive UEL win to move within a point of the automatic qualification places.

Bodø, meanwhile, slip to a second successive UEFA Europa League defeat to fall behind their illustrious hosts ahead of a weekend title showdown on the domestic front.

 

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