Amad (and Amorim) sink City, two coaches sacked, how good was Martinez save?
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Hello! Ruben Amorim painted Manchester red. And he’s taking no nonsense.
Coming up:
- Bold Amorim calls pay off
- Two EPL coaches sacked
- The best save ever?
- Reyna’s drought ends
Stunned on Sunday: Amorim makes his point, Amad downs City
It would be hasty to lionise Ruben Amorim due to one result but Manchester United’s head coach has had worse Sundays.
In his job, any win over Manchester City is satisfying. Away from home is better again and late goals like those that turned yesterday’s derby into a 2-1 victory taste even sweeter. But just as significant was Amorim showing who calls the shots.
He made us sit up before kick-off by excluding Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Effort, body language, strategic aims… whatever it was, Amorim pulled rank without any apology. He said he wasn’t trying to “send a message” but there was code in this remark to Sky Sports: “I pay attention to everything, the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go to the game. Everything.”
United need tough love. Nothing about the past few years suggests their dressing room is capable of running itself. Amorim’s first big calls paid off, albeit aided by City shooting themselves in the foot. Amad (above) got the winner with a nifty finish. He’s a free spirit Amorim should indulge.
As for City, it’s another stumble, and the player who caused it with a ridiculous penalty concession, Matheus Nunes, epitomises how questionable their recruitment has become. His blunder turned a fairly pedestrian derby into a spectacle — the last thing Pep Guardiola wanted. Bernardo Silva told Sky Sports they managed the closing minutes like “under-15s”. Yikes.
Wolves sack O’Neil and turn to Pereira
(Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)
Elsewhere, Gary O’Neil’s reign at Wolverhampton Wanderers is over. It’s been death by a thousand cuts and it had reached the point where every game was ending in a punch-up.
No sooner was he sacked yesterday than eScored broke the news about who would likely be replacing him: Portuguese Vitor Pereira, a 56-year-old who Wolves intend to buy out of his contract at Saudi Arabian team Al Shabab.
Pereira is feisty and he has experience. The first port of call will be to restore discipline to a squad that has none. But it won’t surprise you to learn that Pereira is also a client of super agent Jorge Mendes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-powerful representative whose fingerprints have been on Wolves for years. What odds on some other Mendes men arriving in the January transfer window, too?
Wolves are crying out for reinforcements. Pereira has 22 league matches to work with but the club are five points from safety. He’s got his hands full.
Martin axed after first-half horror show
Next on the sacking list had to be Southampton’s Russell Martin. He spent last week eulogising Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postecoglou. Then, last night, he laid out the red carpet for him 
: not just a pretty face or goalkeeping’s eminent troll. He’s basically the best in the business and if you missed his save against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, we’re here to see you right.
The coolest thing about it is that no matter how many times you watch it, you can’t work out how he’s done it. Even on repeat, you’re convinced the ball’s going to beat him — because it basically has.
Sure, he threw one in later in the game and Aston Villa lost 2-1 but there’s a case to be made that his fingertip stop on the goal line is the finest save any of us have seen. For years, I’ve deferred to a parry from Rangers’ Andy Goram to stop Pierre van Hooijdonk in an Old Firm derby many moons ago. Now, I’m not so sure.
Around eScored FC
Quiz answer
Did you nail the names of every player who has scored four or more goals in Manchester derbies?
They were: Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero (both eight), Eric Cantona (seven), Phil Foden, Erling Haaland (both six), Paul Scholes, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial (all five), David Silva, Niall Quinn, Edin Dzeko, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Andrei Kanchelskis (all four).
Catch a match
Serie A: Lazio vs Inter Milan, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+, Fubo/OneFootball
Premier League: Bournemouth vs West Ham United, 3pm/8pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports.
And finally…
(Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
As brilliant as he can be, Martinez falls short of Crystal Palace ‘keeper Dean Henderson in one respect: the knack of repelling shots with his face.
Why it’s such a talent of Henderson’s is hard to say, but the evidence doesn’t lie. I hope he’s got dental insurance.
(Top photo: Alex Livesey — Danehouse/Getty Images)
