Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim slammed his side’s inconsistency and admitted he was forced to substitute young defender Ayden Heaven at half-time after a booking left him vulnerable during the frustrating 1-1 draw against West Ham.
Ayden Heaven early yellow forces a rethink
Amorim made a bold call before kick-off, giving 19-year-old Heaven his first Premier League start this season at Old Trafford, dropping Leny Yoro after a difficult outing at Crystal Palace. But the plan unravelled early when Heaven lunged into a rash challenge on Jarrod Bowen and went into the book just minutes into the contest.
West Ham, fighting relegation, targeted the rookie centre-back aggressively through Callum Wilson’s physical presence. It left Amorim concerned that any misjudged tackle could see United reduced to ten men.
“Of course it was the yellow card,” Amorim explained. “And we tried to press high and leave one centre back with a striker all the time so any foul there could be a yellow. And we missed Ayden in the set pieces, so we need to be smarter when we play the game.”
The manager opted for caution, withdrawing Heaven at half-time and restoring Yoro after just 45 minutes.
Manchester United lose grip after Dalot’s opener
Diogo Dalot fired United ahead after the break, setting them up to climb into the Premier League’s top five. But the advantage only increased their nervousness as Amorim’s side dropped deeper and allowed West Ham to grow in confidence.
A late equaliser from Soungoutou Magassa off a corner punished United’s failure to control the game or win key duels.
“Frustrated, angry, that is it,” Amorim said. “We are losing because of the second balls. We are really inconsistent. The game was clearly ours to win… We need to do better.”
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He added that the players “should have closed the game with the ball” instead of letting pressure build.
Goalscorer Dalot echoed his manager’s frustration, blaming a loss of composure after taking the lead.
“We cannot get as anxious as we got after the goal,” he said. “We had the game there… It’s more our fault than credit to West Ham. We cannot drop too many points — we want to be in the top four or five.”
A night that highlighted United’s fragility
Two home games, one point, and a manager running out of patience. Heaven’s withdrawal may have been tactical, but the bigger worry for Amorim is a team still unable to see out matches — especially against struggling sides.
