After defeating Manchester City with two late goals, Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim said he had hoped for such drama.
The glory days of Manchester United, much like the thrill of ‘Fergie Time,’ seem to belong to the past. That magical touch had faded over the years. But after a long time, that electrifying excitement returned. United’s stunning victory against City, courtesy of two late goals, brought a breath of fresh air. Ruben Amorim admitted after the match that he had faith in such a dramatic turnaround.
Winning a derby is always special, but doing so in such a thrilling fashion takes the celebrations to a whole new level. On Sunday, at City’s home ground, United were trailing 1-0 until the 87th minute. Bruno Fernandes equalized with a penalty in the 88th minute. Then, in added time, Amad Diallo scored the winner.
It is this added time that gave rise to the concept of ‘Fergie Time.’ Under Sir Alex Ferguson’s management, United often scored late goals to dramatically change the course of matches. It was named ‘Fergie Time’ in honor of the legendary manager.
For the first time under new coach Ruben Amorim, United experienced the drama of ‘Fergie Time.’ Speaking after the match, the coach shared that he, too, believed in the possibility of such a moment.
“We stayed in the game for all 90 minutes, and it was fantastic. We had talked about the Arsenal match. That day, we played well in the first half, but the players didn’t believe they could win. Today was different.”
“I believed, and the team believed. Then ‘Fergie Time’ came, we composed ourselves, and something magical happened. It was a great day for us.”
Despite trailing for most of the match, Amorim was delighted with the team’s fighting spirit and belief.
“A fantastic win. I think we deserved it. It was a very tough match, but we kept believing until the end, and we managed to score. This win was crucial for us, for our fans.”
However, Amorim is not letting the derby win sweep him away. While he acknowledged the joy of the victory, he reminded his team of the challenges ahead.
“For the fans, this win means a lot, especially at a time when last week was tough for us with the Nottingham loss (3-2). Today’s win was well-deserved. We stayed in the game until the end. But next week, we have three matches. Things can change quickly. Today went well, so let’s enjoy this for 10 minutes…”
“But we need to maintain this. Wins like this are necessary for this club. I understand the excitement of the fans, but we have to keep going. There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Despite the win, United remain in 13th place with 22 points from 16 matches, while City sit in fifth with 27 points.
