Ruben Amorim praised Matheus Cunha and Casemiro after Manchester United’s win over Brighton. United established a commanding three-goal advantage against Brighton with goals from Cunha, Casemiro and Brian Mbeumo, but conceded two late goals in a tense finale.
Mbeumo secured all three points in the 97th minute when Bruno Fernandes deftly parried Aiden Haven’s pass before firing his second shot into the roof of the net. With this victory, United achieved their first three league wins in a row since February 2024 and moved into fourth place in the Premier League table, three points behind Arsenal.
When asked about Cunha, Amorim said: “I think everyone felt it against Liverpool, but the harder the game, the more confident he becomes. He feels more comfortable and wants the responsibility.”
“I really liked the way he defended today. He wasn’t jumping all the time. He wasn’t jumping at the right pace or getting back into position. He defended really well today and he’s not worried when he has the ball. He struggled with not scoring goals, but he can try to hide.”
“But I understand. He was really happy. But everyone had a really good understanding of how to win very good matches, not just Matthäus.”
Amorim also praised Casemiro, saying: “I think he has a lot of experience and he’s an example for everyone. Initially he was behind every midfielder and even Toby (Collier).”
“But he fought, worked and now he’s back in the national team. He’s very important for us. He ran a lot, today he fought and pressed and had to come back. I’m really happy for him.”
“And the other players need to look at Casemiro, to understand that football can change really quickly. You just need to work for me. If I think you’re the best fit to play the game, you will.”
When asked about the importance of the victory, Amorim replied: “That was really important, so was the performance, we had to play different games at different moments of the game.
“And I think the players understood really well what to do at every moment. We had to suffer a little bit at the end. It wouldn’t be Manchester United without a little bit of suffering, but we deserved the win against a very good team, a team that is difficult to press from high up. But we did really well.”
“I think they (the players) have more confidence. Their best game this season was against Arsenal. But when you have confidence, you have a different spirit and it helps you win games. That’s how I feel now. We’re a little bit more free. Last week we were a little bit more lucky because of that.”
The Portuguese added: “There was a feeling[that Brighton had a bigger win than Liverpool]and I think it was a more complete performance. You can say whatever you want against Liverpool, but Liverpool didn’t deserve to win that game. Today we did everything. We had the ball and created chances.”
“We defend high, we defend low. When it becomes more complete, it’s not a word, but as a coach I feel more complete. So today I liked it better today than last weekend.”
Explaining his tactical philosophy, Amorim explained: “That was the plan[for defenders to press aggressively]. With Harry Maguire, we can protect the box better and play a little lower.”
“But when you have players who can press high…Luke is not very tall but he is fast and aggressive. We can press a little higher and we know that if we win the ball we will have players in front of goal. They (United’s attackers) are very good so when we win the ball we only need one chance.”
The United chief also revealed that Luke Shaw’s early departure was due to illness during the week. “Luke is fine. He had the virus this week. He had a little bit of a hard time in the first half, but he’s fine.”
