RUBEN AMORIM joked that Manchester United are “stealing” ideas from Premier League teams on how to score set-piece goals.
United completed a second-half turnaround at Crystal Palace to secure only their second win from their last 12 Premier League away games.
Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount scored nine minutes apart and both goals came from indirect free kicks taken by Bruno Fernandes.
Amorim orders his assistant Carlos Fernandes to stand in the technical area whenever there is a set-piece to defend or attack and United scored from corners in their draws with Tottenham and Nottingham Forest in early November.
Asked about United’s set-pieces, Amorim said: “We work a lot.
“We have more time to work, we work a lot and we learn a lot in England.
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“I think you are used to seeing that but when you come to the Premier League you learn a lot with other teams how to do it.
“And we are stealing a lot of things to score goals.”
Palace were unbeaten in 12 home games dating back to February yet United won from a losing position for the first time since they defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in May.
United had the advantage of a six-day gap between games whereas Palace kicked off at 9pm local time in Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
Predictably, Palace tired in the second half and Amorim sensed United could capitalise on how fatigued their hosts were.
Amorim explained: “I felt in the last ten minutes of the first half that the opponent was struggling and they would struggle in the second half.
“We had that feeling that we needed to do something to change the way we were playing. And it was that, of course.
“We tried to change little things in the game. But the intensity and the quality in the way we connect, especially Josh in our connection, was better and that improves a lot the way we play.
“I just said to the players we need to be more alive and you can feel that. So if you are more alive, you are in more places, you are near the ball more often.
“I think everyone did that. But we also need to understand that the opponent was tired also in the second half.
We have more time to work, we work a lot and we learn a lot in England.
Ruben Amorim
“And when you increase the rhythm and the opponent gets tired a little bit, suffers right away a goal, you felt that we had the control of the game and that’s it.”
Zirkzee scored his first Premier League goal in 364 days to equalise on 54 minutes, having made his first start in 225 days against Everton on Monday.
The Dutchman has returned to the starting XI in the absence of injured duo Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko and Amorim was pleased with Zirkzee’s contribution beyond his first goal since April.
He added: “It was really important. But again, it was not just the goal, even the runs behind.
“In the first half he struggled on the duels and he won some duels in the second half. We improved a lot because of the quality of Josh in the second half.
“That is important for him to understand. That is not just the goal. We play better because Josh played better in the second half.”
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