Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted he felt his side were too nervous in Sunday's meeting with Bournemouth.
United were determined was defeated 3-0 by Kershištewho pounced on their set-piece weaknesses to take a first-half lead and never looked back, with United failing to make the most of their dominance in possession.
Reflecting on the gameAmorim admitted his side looked more nervous than usual, with that energy also seeping into the Old Trafford crowd.
“This game was tough for us,” Amorim said. “We struggled again in the groups and we were a bit nervous – also the stadium at the start of the game, I felt it. It's very mental (nervousness). You can feel it not only with the players, with the fans. too.
“I felt it from the first minute, there's a lot of anxiety. That's normal because of the context and it's really disappointing. It's a difficult moment, but we have to face it and prepare for the next game.”
Dead ball situations were a problem for united once again after Dean Huijsen saved Joshua Zirkzee to score the opener, but Amorim was keen to deflect criticism from manager Carlos Fernandes.
“It's my responsibility to train them, not Carlos – it's all up to me,” he said. “Of course we want to improve. At the moment, everything is much more difficult – a club like Manchester United losing 3-0 at home is really difficult for everyone. And of course the fans are really disappointed and tired.
“You can feel it in the stadium and I understand that, but we have to deal with it. We know what to do. We have to improve the groups. I think we are not leaving the ball as much as we have been. We control the game better, we don't concede a lot of space, passes, control very well against a team that scores 60% of their goals when the ball is in (the opponent's) half.