Manchester United produced an excellent performance in their 2–0 victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford, easing pressure on Ruben Amorim in the dugout ahead of the international break.
The Red Devils entered Saturday’s fixture in an ever deepening crisis, but made the perfect start to ease the nerves. Mason Mount, who replaced Matheus Cunha in the starting lineup, produced an excellent touch and finish just inside the penalty area to give United a much-welcomed lead.
The hosts were desperate to capitalise on an encouraging start and pushed eagerly for a second. Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo both forced Robin Roefs into theatrical saves, with the Sunderland goalkeeper then tipping Bruno Fernandes’ exquisite effort onto the crossbar before Amad headed the rebound wide with the goal gaping.
United would soon double their advantage, however, with Benjamin Šeško adding another to his account. Having ended his goal drought in the defeat at Brentford, the Slovenian was on hand to convert from close range following Casemiro’s long throw and put clear daylight between the Red Devils and their visitors.
Sunderland appeared to earn a reprieve in first-half stoppage time as Stuart Attwell awarded them a penalty for a raised boot from Šeško, but the referee reversed his decision after being sent to the monitor as the United forward clearly made no contact with Trai Hume’s head.
United continued to control proceedings after the restart, keeping Sunderland at bay and producing some neat sequences at the other end of the pitch. Mbeumo spurned their most promising opening, firing high and wide after engineering shooting room inside the penalty area.
Sunderland offered few signs of a dramatic late comeback, with United producing a resilient defensive display to earn a first clean sheet of the season. They saw out a routine victory with ease, securing a third straight home win and buying Amorim some time in the hot seat.
