Ruben Amorim has the blueprint for his biggest win at Manchester United

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim secured an important win against Sunderland before the October international break.

Ruben Amorim has said not even the Pope could make him change his Manchester United formation.

Many argued Amorim's stubbornness would cost him his job following defeat to Brentford, but he made a significant change to secure a much-needed win against Sunderland.

Senne Lammens punted the ball from almost every goal-kick. Diogo Dalot launched long throw-ins into the penalty area. There was a simplicity to United's approach that was reminiscent of a bygone era.

United were direct and reverted to basics. It was a greatly effective change from Amorim, who secured a comfortable 2-0 victory to survive during the October international break.

Amorim even ditched the beige chinos in favour of wearing a full tracksuit on the touchline, which felt appropriate given United played like a Stoke City team put together by Tony Pulis.

There is no doubting that Amorim is a stubborn manager, but a leopard can change its spots.

The 40-year-old did what was necessary against Sunderland - he tweaked to secure a victory. And it would be unfair to suggest United only secured the win due to their newfound directness, as every player delivered strong performances and there were some quality individual contributions on the ball.

Amorim was asked if he was frustrated at the timing of the international break, given the team could build momentum, and responded: “There is no momentum with our team.

"So with a break, without a break… we know what happened when we win one game. And then for me, the frustration is not to see the same team at home and away.

"And you saw today, we didn't play well in the second half, but we were focused. We fight second balls. Ben [Sesko] was there to touch the ball all the time. So, these small things are going to help us win games. And sometimes you have your moments. First half, we had a lot of moments.

"But then in the second half, if we cannot play well, they will not play well, and that is the way a big team play during the season. So, that is the big frustration.”

United sources were forced to clarify that Amorim retained the backing of the board after the Brentford defeat, communicating for the second time this season that he was safe.

However, it's rare for a manager to recover once those enquiries begin and a win against newly promoted opposition at Old Trafford won't save Amorim if the situation sours when domestic football resumes.

He was right to bemoan the team's lack of consistency when he spoke during his post-Sunderland press conference, because that is the problem undermining any progress.

The failure to win back-to-back Premier League games is not good enough, although the events of the last week have made the upcoming Liverpool fixture an entirely different proposition.

United will take on Liverpool at Anfield after the October international break. That game looked ominous for Amorim in the fixture list, but Liverpool are suddenly in crisis after losing against Galatasaray and Chelsea.

There was a sense that Liverpool had been fortunate in securing late wins against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Burnley. They hadn't performed well and were bailed out by a few late goals.

Liverpool will lick their wounds and the bookmakers will make them heavy favourites to beat United at Anfield, but the door is clearly ajar for Amorim to secure a tenure-making result.

Slot has form for complaining when Liverpool's opponents don't play into their hands. He dislikes when a team plays direct, like United did against Sunderland - but there is no right way to play football.

"I'm not too sure if I saw a football match. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws," said Slot after facing Newcastle. The Liverpool manager admitted he doesn't like being dragged into a battle.

United have not won away at Anfield since January 2016 when Wayne Rooney scored a late goal to settle a scrappy encounter, and Amorim would snap your hand off for a similarly dogged win in Merseyside.

The Sunderland performance provided a blueprint to beat the Premier League champions.

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