Manager Ruben Amorim took heart from Manchester United’s fightback in Thursday’s 4-3 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, but said his side were undone by a more clinical performance from the hosts.
United went 3-0 down shortly after the break, but scored twice within seven minutes to bring the game back to life and kept up the pressure even after Son Heung-min scored a fourth for the hosts.
“We [disconnected] in the beginning of the second half, it was a tough moment for us, like 10 minutes. And then we [returned], I think we did a great job,” Amorim told Sky Sports. “I think if you look at all the game, I think we were the best team, but they were more clinical. We [lost] the game, but the fight from the lads was really important for me.”
Photo: AP
“Overall, it was a good match, but there’s no taste in that,” he said. “We didn’t win, we need to focus on the next game.”
Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag last month, said that 13th-placed United still have a long way to go before they could challenge for the Premier League title.
“We’re improving as a team ... our goal is to win the Premier League. How long it’s going to take? I don’t know but that is our goal,” he added.
The other teams to join Spurs in the EFL Cup semi-finals after wins on Wednesday are Liverpool, who beat Southampton 2-1; Arsenal, who downed Crystal Palace 3-2; and Newcastle United, who defeated Brentford 3-1.
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