If MU keeps playing like this, the Champions League will remain just a dream.

Once again, MU lost a victory and disappointed coach Ruben Amorim by missing the chance to enter the Premier League Top 5 in a dramatic match at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are really poor now. Even without European competition, the club is making fans feel like they are walking on thin ice.

Manchester United missed a golden opportunity to climb up to 5th place on the Premier League table after conceding a late equalizer to West Ham at Old Trafford. This is clearly something Ruben Amorim cannot be pleased with. Overall, MU could have performed better, but so far, they have been disappointingly half-hearted. This result reflects the inconsistency of the Red Devils under coach Ruben Amorim, as the team continues to make old mistakes despite showing some signs of progress.

The match followed a familiar pattern with Man Utd unable to hold onto their lead. Diogo Dalot opened the scoring for the hosts thanks to a bit of luck. However, nightmares from set-piece situations haunted Old Trafford once again. The conceded goal clearly exposed Man Utd’s defensive weakness, especially on dead-ball situations, which they had confidently mentioned before the game. Coach Ruben Amorim showed visible disappointment on the sidelines. Instead of anger like in the Everton match, this time a scary silence covered the Man Utd players when the final whistle blew.

It’s understandable that Amorim didn’t know what to say, and the MU stars didn’t know how to react properly. Sometimes people wonder, with MU’s defense like this, how can they be so poor at defending aerial balls? In terms of personnel, Man Utd struggled without tall center-backs like Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. Young talent Ayden Heaven, making his Premier League debut, had a tough day constantly exploited by veteran striker Callum Wilson.

After the match, Amorim criticized the players for their lack of focus and admitted his frustration. The Portuguese coach summed up his displeasure with the 1-1 result briefly: "Angry and disappointed, that’s all."

Amorim also criticized West Ham’s goal, which seemed harmless but went over Leny Yoro’s head, leading to a corner kick. Magassa then took advantage of the chance to score the equalizer for the London club: "After taking the lead, we lost many second-ball duels. We need to improve in those situations. MU cannot allow a tall team like that to get such a corner opportunity. Even when they get chances, we must respond promptly." 

If you think about it, MU should have fired their set-piece coach long ago because he’s terrible. Look at Arsenal and learn. They are rarely threatened by aerial or set-piece plays, unlike MU who face them every match. Up front, although Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo, and Bruno Fernandes made efforts to finish, the sharpness needed to seal the game remains a luxury. Why do these disappointing results keep repeating? The answer may lie in the clear gap between Amorim’s best players and the squad’s substitutes.

Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte are two players that the Portuguese coach often describes as "struggling" this season, but it’s not fair to call them incompetent. Mainoo is still there, but why does Amorim refuse to use him? Not using him but not selling him either, claiming he’s still in the plans. Isn’t that like Amorim "slapping himself"?

Former MU captain Roy Keane also couldn’t hide his disappointment after seeing his old team lose the lead against West Ham: "After scoring first, you’re playing against a team in the bottom three, yet you slow down. Why is that? You’re leading 1-0, after all."

In agreement, Gary Neville emphasized: "When you’re up 1-0 and let the game slip without showing aggression, you never feel safe. That’s exactly what happened today. Amorim’s substitutions didn’t help and only disrupted the game’s rhythm."

So the problem with MU is not just individual players but also that Amorim himself is "lost." MU fans hope their team will return to the Champions League next season, but judging by how the club has played and is playing, how many still expect this to happen? It’s true that "you take things as they come," but you need strength, determination, and courage to compete in the Champions League.

Many clubs that regularly play in the Champions League struggle, let alone an unstable team like MU. Don’t even think about the Champions League. Because if somehow, by a miracle, MU earns a spot in Europe’s most prestigious competition next season, the schedule of two matches per week will soon push them into crisis.

With a packed December schedule, dropping points at home against a struggling West Ham is a worrying step backward for Ruben Amorim’s squad’s Champions League ambitions. Whether MU can transform depends on this period and early 2026. If they fail to improve, the rest of the season will be incredibly tough for the club.

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