Manchester United beat local rivals Manchester City 2-1 in the derby yesterday.
After a balanced first half between both sides, it was the hosts who took the lead in the 36th minute through a Josko Gvardiol header.
United searched for a goal and found two in the dying embers of the game, as Amad was brought down in the City box by Matheus Nunes.
Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty to equalise for the Red Devils, this was followed up by an Amad last minute winner, as he dinked the ball over Ederson and volleyed home three points for his team.
Ruben Amorim's side sit in 13th place in the Premier League and are now three points off the top six.
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Amad was the difference maker
When the young Ivorian arrived at Old Trafford for £19 million, there was an expectation that he would become a star at Manchester United but the question was not if but when.
Now under Ruben Amorim it seems like Amad will play a critical role in the team’s success under the Portuguese head coach.
The 22-year-old played off Rasmus Hojlund as a number 10 on the right, for the second consecutive game.
Amorim knew where City would be vulnerable and it was on their left side of defence, with Gvardiol and the makeshift left back Nunes where Amad could expose their weaknesses.
That is what he exactly did for the majority of the game, picking up the ball either on the wing or in the channels, his creative flair and willingness to win really showed.
He was also involved in both goals, winning the penalty for the equaliser and then scoring an all-time derby classic which saw him get the man of the match.
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United do not fear possession at the Etihad anymore
Over the past five seasons Manchester United have been inept at dominating possession at the Etihad Stadium when they have faced Manchester City.
Due to the success of Pep Guardiola and his heavily possession-based style of play, United were never close to having more of the ball than the Blues in the nine years he has been in the Premier League.
The only time they came close in the past five games at the Etihad was in the 2022/23 season, where the Reds had 46% possession and got annihilated, as they lost 6-3.
Yesterday's statistics proved to be the closest since that game two years ago, with Amorim's team having 48% possession of the ball.
However, a huge factor that we have to look at is the recent form of City, who now have one win in their last eleven games.
Within this there has become more lacklustre performances for Guardiola's men.
The other side to this story is that United look a lot more comfortable with the ball at their feet and with no constant high press to face yesterday.
Amorim knew that United could dictate play in moments and this played a part in their huge win.
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Corners need to be addressed
A corner scored against Manchester United this season is nothing knew as it happened again with Gvardiol's goal.
42% of the goals they have conceded this year have come from corners and they are ultimately the worst in the league for it at the moment.
To really alert how bad this is you only have to look at the past two seasons combined where United had only conceded 10 goals.
The possibility of going man to man instead of zonal marking might be the best option for them but it definitely needs to be conveyed over to the United players as it seems to be their achilles heal at the moment.
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Ruben Amorim's in game management is sublime
Ruben Amorim dropped Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby, due to other players looking more sharp and ready for the game.
Mason Mount and Amad started just behind Hojlund upfront, Mount had to come off inside 12 minutes due to injury.
This did not phase Amorim and his gameplan though, as Kobbie Mainoo was subbed on and played alongside Manuel Ugarte in midfield.
Which meant that Fernandes would play in Mount's position higher up the pitch. This arguably made United better on the ball but the belief that the 39-year-old gives his players is something Manchester United fans have not seen in a while.
His players did not crack under the pressure of playing in a derby and want to buy into what he is creating at the club; this was perfectly shown as the away side defended very well and scored two late goals to win the game.
To have that ability and togetherness will put United in good stead for the rest of the season.
Manchester United's next game is on Thursday at 8pm in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
