Ruben Amorim’s warning that “the storm will come” has proved prophetic as Manchester United’s struggles continue.
A 3-0 defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth on Sunday marks a troubling new chapter in the Portuguese coach’s short reign at Old Trafford, leaving the team reeling from consecutive home league losses.
United’s position in the bottom half of the Premier League table going into Christmas is their worst since 1989, with difficult fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United looming.
Having gone 18 months without a home defeat during his time at Sporting CP, Amorim’s side now faces mounting pressure after two Premier League defeats in just three weeks at Old Trafford.
After Nottingham Forest triumphed in early December, Bournemouth compounded United’s misery with a commanding victory, leaving the home crowd disillusioned and frustrated.
“I felt it since the first minute there’s a lot of anxiety,” Amorim said after the match. “Everyone is suffering in the stadium.
“The fans, the players, everybody. It’s a tough moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next game. It is my responsibility to coach them. Of course we want to improve.”
“In this moment, everything is so hard, a club like Manchester United to lose 3-0 at home. It’s really tough for everybody.”
“And of course the fans are really disappointed and tired. You can feel it in the stadium.”
United entered the match hopeful of claiming back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time this season after their stunning 2-1 win at Manchester City.
However, after falling to Tottenham Hotspur just days earlier, Amorim’s men were quickly brought back down to earth.
Bournemouth struck first with a header from Dean Huijsen, a goal directly from a set piece—one of several recurring issues for United under Amorim.
“It’s a difficult moment, we are working on that and we are going to improve on that. However, we didn’t lose because of set pieces.”
“We lose because we create more chances and we didn’t score and then in this moment everything is against us and they can score. Like against Tottenham, we create chances also.”
For the sixth consecutive match, United conceded first—this time, from a set piece. Bournemouth’s opener came just after the half-hour mark, and despite a strong period of pressure from United, the visitors doubled their lead early in the second half.
As the match slipped away from them, the home crowd’s frustration was palpable, with supporters booing at the final whistle and the traveling Bournemouth fans serenading their side with chants of “Olé” for every completed pass.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, while acknowledging the game was closer than the scoreline suggested, praised his team’s maturity and the performance of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
“It was more level than it looks. Kepa’s performance has helped us to win like this. Last season, the game was much more open. This was more mature.”
The loss to Bournemouth marks Amorim’s fourth defeat in his last six matches since taking over from Erik ten Hag in November.
As Amorim sat in the press conference room at Old Trafford following the game, the roof began to leak—a fitting symbol of the mounting troubles at Manchester United, as the storm he predicted appears to have fully arrived.
