REDS TURN THE CORNER

IT WAS a captain's intervention when Ruben Amorim needed one, it was a leader's intervention to spare his countryman more ignominy.

- ANDY DUNN

When Manchester United and Amorim faced further embarrassment, the skipper stepped up.

He gets enough criticism, Bruno Fernandes, much of it fully warranted. But he leads with his talent and his perfectly-struck volley from a sweet Lisandro Martinez pass in added time gave a relieved Amorim the most needed of victories after Cyriel Dessers had, moments earlier, struck a dramatic equaliser.

There can be no disguising how unconvincing this United performance was, but there can be no underestimating how important the victory is for Amorim. And as well as thanking his captain, he also owes a debt of gratitude to Jack Butland, who probably always fancied being a darling of the Stretford End during his five months in Manchester but was never given a chance by Erik ten Hag.