Amorim says 'nervous fans' affected players in bruising Man Utd loss

Ruben Amorim has pointed to a "nervous" atmosphere at Old Trafford as a contributing factor in Manchester United's 3-0 drubbing by Bournemouth.

The Red Devils suffered another humiliating defeat at home, with goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert, and Antoine Semenyo sealing a comfortable victory for the visitors.

United conceded midway through the first half and then twice more in quick succession around the hour mark.

This latest loss leaves them languishing in 13th place, marking the first time since 1989 they will spend Christmas in the bottom half of the table.

Amorim acknowledged post-match that his players failed to manage the crowd’s tension, which added to their struggles on the pitch.

"It's hard to push for two, three wins, and we are trying. This game was hard on us," Amorim admitted.

"We suffered again on set-pieces, and we were a bit nervous—I felt it in the stadium. The penalty and another goal are really hard here. We tried to score some goals, but it was a tough match, so let's move on.

"If you look at the game, we were not conceding anything before the first goal; we had opportunities. If we manage to score the first goal, then the game should be different. We want to score, but we are too nervous. We have to fight this.

"After the penalty, we need to control the game better because we know this situation is really hard. We have to control better this moment."

Amorim called for more mental resilience, emphasizing the need to stay composed in adverse situations.

"We have to focus on the job and not what you feel in the stadium," he continued. "It's the only way I know how to focus my players. We have to suffer again, but we will try to win. We will do it until the end."

In his post-match interview with Match of the Day, Amorim empathized with United fans while lamenting the team’s inability to handle key moments.

He said: "It's really hard, especially if you saw the game. We concede one foul and then a goal. We were winning second balls and creating chances.

"We conceded a penalty and then the third goal. It was really hard for the fans. We have to go again next game.

"We have a lot of situations where they managed to score, a little bit similar to Tottenham. It's really hard on everyone in the stadium.

"We have to fight this moment. We have to maintain calm when you suffer a goal. It was similar in the last match.

"The players need to understand the game has different moments," Amorim added. "I always expected [the job to be tough], especially in these busy months. We are ready to face the challenge."