Ruben Amorim has taken full responsibility for Manchester United’s defensive frailties on set pieces following their 3-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. The loss highlighted the uphill battle facing Amorim, who has only been in charge for five matches but already feels the weight of the task ahead.

United’s struggles were evident from the start, as Nikola Milenkovic opened the scoring just two minutes into the game with a header from a corner. This marked the seventh set-piece goal United have conceded in the Premier League this season, leaving them among the league’s worst alongside Southampton (8) and Wolves (11). Such defensive lapses are a major factor behind their disappointing 13th-place standing.

Speaking to reporters, Amorim emphasized his accountability for the team’s ongoing issues in defending set pieces. “When this happens, it’s more my fault because I’m responsible,” he said. “We’ve worked hard on this area after the Arsenal match, knowing it’s been a challenge. Conceding on the first play of the game drained the team’s energy, though we managed to level things. But in the second half, the same issues resurfaced.”

Amorim admitted the difficulty of maintaining morale after repeated setbacks: “You feel it everywhere—the fans, the players. It’s hard to keep the team focused. We scored another goal, but it was more out of desperation than quality.”

United now face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday, hoping to address their defensive flaws and find a way to turn their season around amid the turbulence caused by the unexpected departure of football director Dan Ashworth.