Ruben Amorim openly expressed his frustration and anger following Manchester United's 1-1 draw with West Ham on Thursday, a sentiment echoed by the Old Trafford fanbase and former captain Roy Keane. Keane, commenting on Sky Sports, highlighted a pervasive "frustration" with a team that repeatedly fails to secure significant Premier League points after taking the lead. He cast doubt on the team's trustworthiness, pointing out continued "huge question marks" in defence and midfield, despite their capacity to score goals.

Despite his visible agitation, Amorim insisted he was calm and would avoid a repeat of his previous tirade after a home defeat to Brighton. Instead, he plans to address the team's performance at Carrington, believing that speaking to players when emotions are still high post-match is counter-productive. Amorim was clear about the errors that led to West Ham's 83rd-minute equaliser, scored by Soungoutou Magassa, his first in English football. He cited a long ball, losing the second ball against three United players, and allowing a corner to a much taller opposition in the game's closing stages, directly after Diogo Dalot had given United the lead and Noussair Mazraoui had cleared a Jarrod Bowen flicked header off the line.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo deemed the equaliser "deserved" for his team, who were third-bottom and had only two away points since their August win at Nottingham Forest. The recurring problem for Amorim and United is a developing pattern of missed opportunities. Roy Keane underscored this, noting, "One minute, you think they are making progress, they could move fifth, but they don't get the job done. They look frightened to get the job done."

This pattern has been evident in several crucial matches. On November 1st, victory at Nottingham Forest would have placed United second, but they ended up drawing. A week later, a similar scenario unfolded at Tottenham, with a stoppage-time equaliser denying them a win. Post-international break, a Champions League spot was within reach with a win against 10-men Everton, but they lost at home. The draw with West Ham saw them lose out on moving seven minutes from fifth place. They now sit eighth, amid 11 clubs separated by just four points, making their true performance level ambiguous.

While a general consensus suggests United has made progress, particularly from last season's 15th place after spending over £200m, their current form raises concerns. After winning three consecutive games and earning Amorim manager of the month in October, their recent record is a worrying one win in five. Amorim, however, rejects the notion of going backward. He stated, "It's not going backwards. We had some moments. That can happen. We are inconsistent. If you look at the goal, after 83 minutes there is a long ball and we have everything under control. We must do better." United faces bottom-club Wolves on Monday, once again playing the final game of a Premier League round with a clear target, albeit one that gets lower with each unfulfilled opportunity.