Bruno Fernandes passionately defended Ruben Amorim's tactics amid criticism of the manager's system, after Manchester United registered a "massive" victory over rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. United beat the Reds 2-1 to claim their first win at Anfield since 2016 as Amorim also secured back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time in his tenure.
United end Amorim era jinx
Amorim's journey at Old Trafford has been nothing short of a nightmare as United have failed to show any consistency since the Portuguese coach took charge of the club in November 2024. After finishing trophyless and 15th in the Premier League in his maiden season, Amorim spent heavily in the summer transfer window and strengthened the team's attack by signing big names like Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. However, things did not pan out as expected at the start of the season as the Red Devils registered just two wins in their first six league games.
Also, another concerning aspect of the Amorim era was that United had never won back-to-back Premier League games on his watch. The jinx, however, was finally broken on Sunday as United defeated Liverpool at Anfield after beating Sunderland 2-0 in their last game before the October international break.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFernandes says players back the system
Amorim has been under immense pressure due to United's poor start to the 2025-26 campaign. The Portuguese coach's tactics have often been targeted in the past few months, as many pundits believe that the current crop of United players do not fit into his 3-4-2-1 formation, and he has also been accused of being inflexible and stubborn with his ideas.
After the win at Anfield, United captain Fernandes passionately defended the coach's tactics. He told Sky Sports: "Our shape always gives teams issues. It is a little bit ungrateful to talk about shape when we lose games and in the same way I am grateful to talk about it when we win. We always believe in the system, whether we win or lose, but it's about doing the right things in the right moments. We had moments we had to suffer and we did that in the game and the main thing is to do the same thing and believe what we prepare is what is going to give us the win."
Captain issues warning
The Portuguese midfielder did, however, also warn that United must finally look to build some proper momentum after such a bleak period. "It is not going to mean anything if next week we do not win the game," he said. "We know the demand of this club is very high and you have to win each game ahead. Everyone was worried about these back-to-back wins but we just have to focus on the next game. It is massive for us to win today to get closer in the table to not be far from where we want to be in the table."
Getty Images SportLiverpool suffered fourth consecutive loss
Reigning English champions Liverpool were the highest spending Premier League club during the summer transfer window as Arne Slot went on a shopping spree to bolster his squad. They brought in major reinforcements in attack and in the backline, while breaking the British transfer record twice in a single window, as they signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.
The changes in the squad seemed to be working well at the start of the season as Slot's men kicked off the 2025-26 campaign by winning seven games in succession, including five in the Premier League. However, things went south towards the end of September when they suffered a 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. More disappointment followed in Turkey as they went down 1-0 against Galatasaray in the Champions League. Slot's men were then beaten 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and failed to bounce back against United. They have dropped to fourth in the league and now sit four points adrift of early pacesetters Arsenal.