- Manchester United beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in a thrilling Europa League clash
- Ruben Amorim tasted victory on his first night under the lights at Old Trafford
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Manchester United are moving at pace under Ruben Amorim. Quick goals, quick change and, it seems, quick results.
The man who turned Viktor Gyokeres into one of the hottest strikers in Europe at Sporting Lisbon has already had a remarkable impact on another Scandinavian forward just a week after starting work with Rasmus Hojlund.
Here at Old Trafford, on Amorim’s first home game as head coach, Hojlund scored two goals and grabbed an assist to see off the challenge of Bodo/Glimt and lift United above the Norwegians in the Europa League table into 12th place.
The Dane struggled to justify his £72million price tag under Erik ten Hag but the hope among United’s hierarchy is that he will be one of the players who benefits most from Amorim’s arrival.
Enough to persuade United not to go after Gyiokeres? We will see. But the early signs are promising as Hojlund used his physicality to maximum effect to give Amorim his first win.
If didn’t always look like being that way. Having once again gone ahead after a matter of seconds, United trailed before Hojlund led the fightback with goals either side of half-time.
Defeat would not only have been the worst possible outcome for Amorim’s Old Trafford bow, but rather embarrassing for a club that has just jacked up the ticket prices for fans without warning or explanation. Losing to Bodo/Glimt would hardly have been the best justification.
As it was, a 3-2 win offered plenty entertainment if not some rather uncomfortable reminders of those crazy European nights under Ten Hag.
Amorim had promised to rotate his squad to give as many players as possible game time to familiarise themselves with his philosophy, and the new head coach wasn’t kidding.
There were six changes in total from his first game at Ipswich on Sunday. Tyrell Malacia – playing for United for the first time in 18 months – and Antony were handed the wing-back roles in Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, either side of Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte.
Lisandro Martinez returned to partner Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in the back three with Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho making up the front three.
Having so many players learning on the job could be seen as a high-risk strategy, but Amorim has taken the view that it’s better to effect change immediately rather than wait until next summer when he can sign players more suited to the roles. He admits his players will ‘suffer’ for it, but it’s short-term pain for long-term gain and that was felt here again last night.
‘We have to change players to be fresh, not to prepare the other games but to be competitive today,’ he said before kick-off. ‘We are in the beginning of something, so every player counts, and we have to show that.’
Bodo/Glimt also made some changes with one eye on Sunday’s game against Lillestrom and the opportunity to secure a fourth title in five years. The team from 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle started the tie four places above United in the Europa League table and proved once again that they are no slouches.
The 6,500 fans who had followed them Manchester in the middle of a Norwegian winter got to enjoy some daylight and temperatures that were above freezing, albeit only just.
It would have felt less clement for the man from Lisbon, but at least Amorim got a warm welcome from Old Trafford as he walked out of the tunnel for his first home game in charge.
Bemvindo a casa, declared a banner in United colours in the Stretford End. Welcome Home. It was about to get even better for Amorim. Having seen his team go ahead after 80 seconds at Ipswich, he only had to wait 48 seconds this time.
Jostein Gundersen played a back-pass to goalkeeper Nikita Haikin and Hojlund pressed, just as Amorim likes it.
Haikin foolishly decided to keep hold of the ball and Hojlund saw his chance, sliding in to block and then cleverly using his body to stop the keeper from reaching the loose ball. Garnacho had the simplest of tasks to tap into an empty net.
United couldn’t hold onto their lead until half-time at Portman Road and it lasted only until the 19th minute here.
Jens Petter Hauge split them with an excellent throughball and Sondre Brunstad Fet teed up Hakon Evjen to fire past Andre Onana into the top corner.
Amorim gave a little shake of the head on the touchline, while next to him Kjetil Knutsen led the celebrations. No matter how mediocre United have been over the past decade, there is still that sense of shock when teams like Bodo/Glimt score at Old Trafford.
Four minutes later, it turned to disbelief. Haikin rolled the ball out to Brice Wambangomo who fed Patrick Berg and his blind, first-time pass sent Philip Zinckernagel haring down the right in a race with Malacia.
The Dutchmen’s lack of fitness and pace was ruthlessly exposed as Zinckernagel accelerated clear and rifled the ball past Onana. Was it the right decision to start Malacia after so long out? It certainly felt as though the decision had backfired and he was replaced by Diogo Dalot at the interval.
Evjen could have made it three before United equalised just before half-time. Mazraoui deserves huge credit for breaking up a counter-attack and then beating two men before crossing to the edge of the six-yard box. Hojlund was being marked by two men but his first touch took the ball under close control and the second was a clever volley into the corner.
Garnacho had already hit the bar before Hojlund claimed his second goal of the game in the 50th minute. The build-up was quick and incisive, Mount flicking Mazraoui’s pass into the path of Ugarte. The Uruguayan’s low cross picked out Hojlund in front of goal and he was always going to be too strong for Odin Bjortuft as he outmuscled the defender to score from close range.
Garnacho missed three clear chances to increase the lead and United almost paid the price when Dalot’s poor back-pass let in the visitors and Onana had to come into midfield to make a crucial tackle on Hauge.
It was enough to give Amorim his first win on a night when Hojlund was the hero.
