Ruben Amorim admits Manchester United were overwhelmed by anxiety in their heavy defeat to Bournemouth

Manchester United’s struggles deepened on Sunday as they suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth, leaving them in 13th place and in the bottom half of the Premier League table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989.

It was a second consecutive heavy home defeat to Bournemouth, mirroring the humiliating 3-0 loss at Old Trafford almost exactly a year ago. United’s defensive frailties were once again exposed, with the team conceding their seventh goal in six games from a set piece.

Ruben Amorim, who has been under increasing pressure as manager, admitted that his players were nervous from the first whistle. “This game was hard on us. We suffered again on set pieces, and we were a little bit nervous,” he said. “I felt it from the first minute, there’s a lot of anxiety. That’s normal because of the context [needing to win], and it’s really disappointing.”

United had been drilled ahead of the match by assistant coach Carlos Fernandes on defending set pieces, but the defensive errors continued, with Dean Huijsen’s opener in the 29th minute coming from an unmarked header off a free-kick. Amorim took full responsibility for the defensive lapses. “It is my responsibility to coach them, not Carlos – it is all on me,” he said.

Despite their best efforts, United were unable to recover from the early setback. Bournemouth struck again in the second half, with Justin Kluivert converting a penalty in the 61st minute before Antoine Semenyo sealed the win with a strike two minutes later. Amorim reflected on his team’s reaction to going 2-0 down: “Keep the ball for a moment and not try to score two goals right away. It’s a really tough moment and we have to understand that – what the players are thinking in that moment… We have to address that.”

The atmosphere at Old Trafford was one of frustration and anxiety, with fans voicing their displeasure as their team faltered. Amorim, though visibly disappointed, insisted that they would have to confront the situation head-on. “We know what to do. We have to improve set pieces. I think we are not giving the ball away as much as we did. We control the game better, we don’t concede a lot of spaces, transitions, we control very well against a team who score 60% of their goals when the ball is in [the opponents’] half.”

As Christmas looms, Manchester United face a crucial period of reflection and improvement. With mounting pressure on Amorim and his players, the team must address their mental fragility and defensive vulnerabilities if they are to climb back up the table in the new year