And that’s exactly how one would want the Manchester derby to be—completely unpredictable and an emotional rollercoaster. Even though the entirety of the game seemed boring and in City’s control, United managed to turn things around to secure a 1-2 win at the Etihad Stadium. But the apple of everyone’s eye is Amad Diallo, who, despite scoring the winner for the Red Devils (also winning a penalty), shouldn’t easily be getting the ‘special place,’ according to Ruben Amorim.

To make things clear, it was no ordinary winner from Diallo, as the youngster surely deserves to be in the spotlight after helping his side clinch the crucial three points against their arch-rivals. Then again, Amorim isn’t keen to make the youngster climb the high horse and has even urged fans to let him keep his feet on the ground.

Following the match, in the post-match presser and as compiled by @Football__Tweet on X, Amorim said, “He can play different positions, he is very humble. We have to be very careful with Amad because sometimes in our club we put young players in a special place. Let’s stay calm with Amad.”

Sounds like Amorim knows that United fans often start signing their praises too soon whenever any youngster, or even a new signing in a few cases, magically ends up giving a clutch performance. One doesn’t need to underline the obvious by stating previous instances but Ruben surely looks to be cautious in the case of Ivory Coast forward.

Surely, the Sporting CP boss would want the youngster to keep up such a display till the end of the season. But if fans end up raising their expectations, it would surely put unnecessary pressure on Diallo to deliver constant performances. Luckily for United fans, he was able to give them a reason to celebrate today’s crucial win.

Having made 14 appearances in the Premier League so far, Diallo also seems to have won the confidence of Ruben, as he was handed over a start today from the Portuguese boss. Fate somehow saw him end up scoring his second goal in the Premier League and first under the new boss, making his tally look good alongside the six assists as well.

No wonder Amorim’s natural response was to come in defense of the former Atalanta BC youngster. Also, not to mention how the 22-year-old also helped the former Sporting CP boss assert dominance over Pep Guardiola for the second time this year!

Once again, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City get outmuscled by Ruben Amorim

A 4-0 Sporting CP humiliation or the 1-2 bottling of the Manchester derby, what seems to be more disheartening Cityzens? Clearly, trouble continues to spell for the Sky Blues, who once again fell off the track. Though a header from Josko Gvardiol made it seem like City might just go home with a narrow win and three points, Amad Dillo was able to collect a poor pass from Matheus Nunes, who tackled the youngster, only to gift United a much-needed respite and a penalty in the 85th minute.

Luckily, Bruno Fernandes was able to find the back of the net and an equalizer for United, helping the side get back into the game. As if there already wasn’t enough drama, Lisandro Martinez was able to launch a long ball for Diallo, who made a perfect run between City’s defensive line to first chip the ball with his toe to dodge Ederson and then put the ball into the net from a tight spot. And boy, did Amad Diallo execute a knee-sliding celebration on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium, leaving City fans in silence.

While we don’t know exactly how Ruben Amorim wants the youngster to be protected from United fans’ expectations, he certainly needs to be shielded from the Sky Blues’ supporters.