RUBEN AMORIM was able to emulate his idol Jose Moruinho by stifling Arsenal – as stats show.
The Red Devils manager oversaw one of his side’s best performances since he replaced Erik ten Hag earlier this season.
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Amorim, 40, has not had a lot to cheer about since he was appointed Manchester United manager back in November.
But the credible 1-1 draw against the title-chasing Arsenal at Old Trafford was a measurable improvement on recent outings.
During the game, the hosts took the lead through a stunning Bruno Fernandes free-kick.
A wonderful strike from Declan Rice late in the second half earned Arsenal a share of the spoils, but effectively ruled them out of the title race.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the ball for much of the game but struggled to create many clearcut opportunities.
The hosts, on the other hand created the most dangerous chances, and were unlucky not to be out of sight by the time Rice struck.
David Raya made great stops to deny both Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee to keep the difference to just one goal.
Following the match, stats showed that Man United were happy to camp in their own half and soak up the Arsenal attack.
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Of the entire Man Utd team, only Alejandro Garnacho had an average position in the opposition half over the course of the 90 minutes.
By comparison, every Arsenal player except Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba spent the bulk of the game in Man Utd territory.
But Amorim’s tactics allowed his side to create space behind the visitors’ backline.
This almost led to goals on multiple occasions, including in the dying moments, as Raya denied Fernandes with a reaction save then palmed the ball away on the goal line as it was about to roll in.
Speaking after the game, Amorim admitted that he does not want to play a low-block style regularly but knew it was needed to ensure the best possible outcome in Sunday’s game.
He told Sky Sports: “I think we did well. Of course, we don’t want to play like this [with a low block] defending so much and giving the ball to the opponent.
“But with all the games, all the problems, the characteristics of the players – Lindelof to let him not have a lot of metres to cover, Casemiro is comfortable in these types of games.
“I tried to adapt and imagine a game we could win. It’s also the opponent.
“The last game before the Champions League was high pressure by PSV, man to man. They are harder to make in this way.
“In the low block we can control the game and then we have some good players in the transition – Garnacho made a really complete game.
“We try to keep the starting eleven until the goal. When you suffer a goal, the players tire.
“We try to choose the best moments to press high. When you coach Manchester United, you cannot play too much like that.
“You have to try to win the game. I know it is frustrating for the fans sometimes.
“We have to deal with that and sometimes do things that are not popular.”
Amorim has previously admitted that he looks up to former Man United boss Jose Mourinho.
He has even been nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’ in the past.
The now-Fenerbahce boss enjoyed great success playing a low-block and counter-attacking style.
In his pomp he helped the likes of Inter Milan and Porto win the Champions League and Chelsea win the Premier League playing his football.
And the Special One arguably gave Man Utd its most successful period since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
He won the Europa League at the club and led them to a second placed finish in 2017/18 and insisted that it was his most outstanding achievement.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was frustrated by United’s style of play, despite not being averse to setting up his own side in the same way when necessary.
The Spaniard insisted his team dominated the game but struggled to create in the final third.
Before walking out of his interview with Sky Sports, he said: “Very frustrating we haven’t won with the dominance and the chances we had in the first half.
“We gave the ball away out of nothing. Gave a foul away. We had them in the second half, you could feel they were really fatigued.
“It was the threat in the final 25 metres to make something happen.
“They didn’t want to play. You come here and you want to win the game. It is frustration.”
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