Is Ruben Amorim now a hinderance rather than a help to Man Utd? Premier League hits and misses
Sky Sports' football journalists reflect on Tuesday's Premier League action as Ruben Amorim baffles Man Utd fans with his decisions, Yoane Wissa offers a different dynamic for Newcastle and mistakes are still costing West Ham dear
Wednesday 31 December 2025 00:24, UK
Amorim baffles Man Utd fans
There are extenuating circumstances, clearly. Manchester United are without some of their most creative players right now. Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are injured.
But when you draw at home to a Wolves team that had lost their previous 12 matches in all competitions, there will be scrutiny. Particularly when Ruben Amorim switched back to his favoured back three to 'match up' with a side still winless in the Premier League.
Amorim talked of the difficulty in relying on inexperienced players afterwards but he introduced one - Jack Fletcher - when removing Joshua Zirkzee, United's goalscorer, at the interval. "It was tactical," he confirmed. They could not deal with Wolves' midfield, he argued.
If that change was strange, the like-for-like substitution of Ayden Heaven - perhaps United's best outfield player again - for Leny Yoro was also difficult for supporters to understand. They booed that late switch, having booed the team off at half-time and full-time.
Amorim remains confident, he insists, that United will be far stronger when his stars are back but the frustration is that the opportunity is being missed in the here and now. His team could have gone fourth with a better display against the bottom club.
Five of the last seven games in which they have scored first have not been won. Home games against 10-man Everton, a woeful West Ham, a Bournemouth side they were beating three times and now this Wolves team, adrift in the table, have not been won.
And the worry is that Amorim is a big part of the reason for that. The man in whom everyone is supposed to trust sometimes feels like a stumbling block to success rather than the architect of it. Leeds and Burnley await. Those games come with real risk now.
Adam Bate
Odegaard back to his best for Arsenal
Martin Odegaard's role in Arsenal's second goal against Aston Villa typified all he brings Mikel Arteta's side at his best. First, the off-the-ball alertness to pounce on Youri Tielemans' loose pass. Then a through-ball so perfectly measured that Martin Zubimendi didn't even need to break his stride.
His starring performance at the Emirates Stadium came only three days after he performed to a similarly high level in the win over Brighton. It's a goal and an assist in two games for him now but those numbers do not tell the full story.
After an injury-hit start to the season, the Arsenal captain finally looks back at something approaching his best form. He led Arsenal players for touches, final-third passes, chances created and shots on Tuesday night, his influence clear.
For Mikel Arteta, it was only ever a question of time. "He needed some consistency as well and some games," he said in his press conference. "Obviously, he had two times the shoulder injury, then he had a big knee injury, and that takes a little bit of time.
"Now you can see that he is flowing, that his energy level is back to where it is, and that he's affecting the game in a great way.
"I think he was very, very good today."
His work on the ball against Villa was complemented by a familiar level of intensity out of possession. Odegaard contested more duels than any other Arsenal player and won possession the most times too. Only Zubimendi ran further than his 11.2km.
Carry on like this, in all facets of his game, and a player who has come to split opinion among Arsenal supporters could prove a difference-maker in the Premier League title race.
Nick Wright
Mane is new Wolves favourite
Mateus Mane delivered a player of the match performance for Wolves in their shock draw at Manchester United and in a season in which the supporters have been starved of positives, the 18-year-old academy prospect has become the fans' new darling.
They chanted his name throughout, a new song to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries, and roared with delight when he tackled former favourite Matheus Cunha. Mane played with energy and quality, just days after lasting the full 90 minutes at Anfield.
It is the tactical flexibility that has impressed Rob Edwards. A more natural winger, he was moved inside midway through the game against Liverpool and had been lined up for a No 10 role at Old Trafford until Santi Bueno's withdrawal forced a change of plan.
"Today obviously things have changed and he is playing as an eight," explained Edwards. "So to show that level of understanding, really, really impressive. He took the ball, didn't look fazed, played with bravery, but then his work-rate as well.
"That recovery late on against Casemiro, [after] I think he tried a little backheel. That's the stuff that we need. It's great that an 18-year-old at the moment is showing that display." It might not keep Wolves up but Mane is helping to change the mood.
Adam Bate
Wissa adds extra dynamic for Howe
Newcastle have looked their best under Eddie Howe when they play with speed, aggression and verticality.
That edge has been missing at times this season, especially away from home.
Where Nick Woltemade offers presence, structure and link play between the lines, Yoane Wissa brings a bit of chaos and directness. He runs the channels, pulls centre-backs wide and asks uncomfortable questions of defensive units that want to hold a compact shape.
Against Burnley, that difference was obvious within minutes and Newcastle managed to score twice inside seven of them.
Two goals in two starts, capped by a decisive contribution in the win over Burnley, has quickly thrust Wissa back into the spotlight.
The early signs suggest Newcastle now have two different attacking profiles for different types of games.
Lewis Jones
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Absences take toll on tired Aston Villa
Aston Villa had the suspensions of Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara to add to a four-player injury list against Arsenal. The result was a weakened starting line-up and a depleted bench which included three untested teenagers.
Unai Emery might now have to add Amadou Onana to the absentee list against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Aston Villa were matching Arsenal at the time of his enforced withdrawal due to injury at half-time. It all went wrong after that.
Arsenal were excellent in the second period, of course, but they were also far fresher, with Villa having played out a similarly draining away game against Chelsea only three days earlier. They had gone to their limits to extend their winning run to 11 games.
Emery was also justified in questioning the scheduling which pitted them against Arsenal for a second time this season before having faced all of the other 18 sides, with their first game against Forest still to come. A quirk of the fixture list maybe, but one that hurt them as their winning run was brought to an untimely end.
Nick Wright
Hope for Burnley still?
Burnley's relegation fight has been defined by fine margins and missed moments, but Armando Broja's performance in the defeat to Newcastle offered something they have been craving for months: an authority up top.
From the first whistle, Broja played with purpose. He ran channels aggressively, pinned centre-backs and demanded the ball with his body as much as his voice. This was the Broja who bursts through defenders rather than bouncing off them. The Broja who looks like a Premier League striker rather than one searching for rhythm.
It gives Burnley something to build from. The gap to safety is still only six points. Teams that go down often do so long before the points column confirms it. They can be mentally beaten. Burnley aren't there yet and Broja is central to that resistance.
Lewis Jones
January arriving at the perfect time for 'threadbare' Everton?
Everton boss David Moyes praised his squad, with specific reference to players like Nathan Patterson who came into the game short of regular minutes, following the 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
Injuries to Michael Keane and Charly Alcaraz for this fixture only added to their problems. Moyes said he was working with around 30 per cent of the squad after the game and he was right.
Through a combination of international duty at AFCON and injuries, Everton are threadbare.
Only two players on their bench this evening - Jack Grealish and Beto - had a Premier League appearance to their name.
The Toffees are within touching distance of the top five but if they want to keep that positioning - or even build on it - they need reinforcements.
Waiting for players to return isn't enough. The January transfer window could be arriving at the perfect time.
Patrick Rowe
Mistakes still hurting Hammers
The Hammers are still hurting after their draw with Brighton. An eight-game winless run has done nothing to shake off their relegation fears as they enter the New Year.
Mistakes are still being made - there were a couple of early misplaced passes out the back that create unnecessary pressure. And lessons weren't learned - it was no surprise West Ham conceded two first-half penalties via sloppy challenges.
It was Ollie Scarles' costly error on Saturday against Fulham, then it was Max Kilman's lazy leg and Lucas Paqueta's needless rugby tackle against Brighton. All basic errors.
Nuno Espirito Santo has praised West Ham's spirit but that only takes you so far. Barring a few Jarrod Bowen and Paqueta moments, there needs to be more quality in this Hammers team, or 2026 is the year they go down.
Sam Blitz
Brighton's lack of flexibility extends Hurzeler's historic hoodoo
Brighton's draw to West Ham means that manager Fabian Hurzeler has yet to win a Premier League game in December in 12 attempts (D7, L5) - the most games ever by a PL coach without winning. The Seagulls' current winless run now stands at six games, and sees them two points worse off than at this point last year.
Entering into 2026, it seems the German's side are suffering many of the same problems they faced in 2024. Brighton's gung-ho style has produced a lack of consistency prominent over both of Brighton's seasons under their manager.
Today may have been a point gained - with Brighton coming from behind twice - but it so easily could have been more. 61 per cent possession, 2.85 xG and an avoidable penalty all evidence that Brighton need not have shared the spoils against an opponent with the second-worst home form in the league.
But what seems so much more the cause of recent poor form is less quantifiable. The Seagulls never seem to know when to take the sting out of a game. Even in the last 20 minutes, which Brighton dominated, there were signs of vulnerability. Brighton attacked relentlessly - and West Ham always looked like they were one good through ball away from scoring the winner.
Hurzeler has clearly proven he has the talent to manage at this level. But Brighton's lack of progression over his tenure - and runs of poor form during back-to-back festive periods - cast doubt over how much better they can get whilst lacking the street smarts that the Brighon head coach needs so badly to acquire.
Noah Langford
