Man Utd frustration once again dominated the atmosphere at Old Trafford as Manchester United let another crucial lead slip in a 1-1 draw leaving fans angry, pundits harsh in their assessment and Amorim already catalogued as visibly annoyed, clearly frustrated. It was a night that all everyone wished they had never visited, a game that could have propelled United towards the higher echelons in the Premier League but rather strengthened the accusing concern that had been voiced at them quite a bit, their mentality and consistency and their own performances when they need it most.

Ever since the last whistle had been blown the story was told by the boos. Amorim confessed that he was frustrated and agitated, which is how the fans were feeling and even in the words of Roy Keane. Keane was never shy to speak out and gave a straightforward account of the situation, stating that he would not trust this team due to the enormous question marks in the midfield and defence. The ease of the equaliser by West Ham at the end of the match worsened those frustrations and was made after Diogo Dalot had provided United with a second-half lead that was meant to be secured with very calmness and control.

First, the West Ham managed to induce a corner by a hopeful long ball by United. Then, as Amorim told, they did not lose a second ball that three United players were better placed to win. The hesitation of Souongoutou Magassa made him respond in the shortest amount of time to the goal-line clearance and the bundle of Noussair Mazraoui after his first premier league goal with barely minutes remaining to play. In the case of West Ham, a team that was bottom three and that had only two points in the away games since August, the reward was perceived to have been earned. To United, it was a repeat of an ugly trend.

But the more serious problem is that these collapses are coming to be predictable. Keane pointed to the fact that the United appear to freeze as soon as they can be up to a major climb up the table. In Nottingham Forest earlier this month, a victory would have placed United second, but they surrendered in the end and took a draw. A week after with Tottenham, the same thing occurred. Next was the expensive loss at home to 10-man Everton right after the international break, even though their fifth place in the top four was hanging as incentive. Now, again, seven minutes to go into fifth, United withdrew instead.

Amorim maintains that the team is not deteriorating, but rather it is in the state of inconsistency. He noted that they were not perfect even in the good month of October when they had three consecutive wins and he won the manager of the month award. The truth is uglier though just a single victory in the past five games has pushed United back into the middle of the pack where it is stuck among 11 other clubs with a gap of only four points. Whether this team is progressing, maintaining or regressing is unknown to anyone and that ambiguity is the cause of the greater unhappiness around the Man Utd among the whole fanbase.

Lastly, Amorim admitted that it is counter-productive to confront players immediately after the matches are over, and hence, he will focus on the matters at Carrington with a different attitude. He, however, clarified that it is just plain wrong to give up such an objective after 83 minutes when the club had everything on track. He added the fault he agreed lay in the hands of the players who have to be more resilient and the coaching staff that need to teach the players the calmness needed to see out games.

The pressure is, oddly enough, not new, as United are about to confront bottom-club Wolves on Monday. This will be another occasion when they will be the last to match the Premier league round. Again an obvious goal will be established to them. And here again the question is over their heads whether they will be able to perform when the time to make progress arises? Having been knocked out without winning, and keeping the bottom at the table, another defeat would help increase the attention to chilly suppliency. United simply cannot afford to fail once again, yet the recent history tells that even the simplest of things could no longer be counted on.

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