Ruben Amorim denies Rangers revenge mission talk after Man Utd win eclipses Steven Gerrard pain

It might have helped form a neat narrative arc, but Ruben Amorim claimed he was not considering revenge when Manchester United struck a late winner against Rangers in last night’s Europa League clash.

Instead, he stressed, he was thinking about himself, with the already under-fire Old Trafford manager not in a position to accept a 1-1 home draw with the Scottish visitors, as it looked likely he would have to do when the clock hit 90 minutes with the away fans still celebrating Cyriel Dessers' equaliser with two minutes left.

It’s now nearly five years since Amorim’s Braga side were beaten by the Ibrox team home and away in the same competition in what were his only European losses during his time at the Portuguese club. Braga lost 3-2 at Ibrox against Steven Gerrard’s side having at one point led 2-0 and then suffered a 1-0 defeat in the second leg, with Ryan Kent striking the winner.

Ruben Amorim watches on as Manchester United overcame Rangers at Old Trafford. | Getty Images

Rangers lost to Bayer Leverkusen at the last 16 stage shortly before Covid saw football temporarily shut down. “It was a long time ago,” said Amorim. “It was really strange in the two matches - we were winning the first one 2-0 and then Gerrard and his team changed things. No, I was not thinking about that. It was just a victory that we truly needed in this moment.”

His thoughts are solely with Manchester United now and he savoured this win, which was earned by skipper Bruno Fernandes’ injury-time goal. It was only United’s second victory inside 90 minutes in nine outings, although of course it was secured in time added on, with Dessers levelling on 88 minutes. It might have been a different story had Matthijs de Ligt’s goal stood midway through the first half. The defender's header was chalked off for a barely discernible push by Leny Yoro on Robin Propper.

“If it was the Premier League it would be different but we have to accept that,” said Amorim. “The best thing is that we did it again (scored from a corner) in the second half. We are improving set-pieces.

“We have an intensive course here in the Premier League with set-pieces and we can use it in Europe. Sometimes the rule is a little bit different. In the Premier League you can do a little bit more to score a goal.”

Ryan Kent celebrates his goal for Braga against Rangers in 2020. | AFP via Getty Images

The Portuguese manager felt his side earning all three points was deserved, even if the winning goal was so late on. He contended that Dessers' late equaliser, good though it was, had come against the run of play.

“We didn't deserve it, that draw at the moment,” he said. “I think it was fair for us to win a game, a game that we already knew was going to be tough.”