Ruben: We're improving but there's work to do

Matthijs de Ligt scored an equaliser deep into stoppage time to earn Manchester United a point in a dramatic finale, a week on from a show of spirit at Nottingham Forest.

Bryan Mbeumo had put the visitors ahead in the first half before Mathys Tel's introduction spun the game in Spurs’ favour.

He levelled in the 84th minute before Richarlison flicked in Wilson Odobert's long-range shot to seemingly win it - but de Ligt had other ideas.

Amorim met with the media inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following the final whistle. Keep scrolling to read, and watch, everything he said, with his team’s recovery from another second-half hitch a key topic...

Ruben, for the second week in a row you're in front in an away game, you seem to be in control of the situation and then in the space of no time, the game goes away from you. I know you'll be delighted to get something, but how much of a problem is it that you've done the same thing again?
“We have a lot of problems. We are just in the beginning. I know that sometimes the results show to people that we are improving, and we are improving, but we have a lot to do. You can divide the game in the final 10 minutes. Also, when we have to take out Harry Maguire and Casemiro at the same time, then suffer two goals... then losing Ben [Sesko]. Even before the second goal with the big opportunity, then to overcome everything and manage to score is a good thing. But if you look at the rest of the game, we were comfortable, but I think we should do better - be more aggressive, feeling the environment in the stadium that the three points were there, the space was there, and I think we felt too comfortable during the game and we need to expect that in one play, anything can happen and change the mood of the stadium. Today was that. I think we control the game well, but we need to do better because the game was there to take.”

Matthijs de Ligt has been an ever-present for you this season. What did you make of his goal? It’s a small point, but he's not in the leadership group - I am wondering if is there is a good reason for that ?
“No, there are players that lead in the way they play, and then there are players that have a different involvement in everything that happened at Carrington. So I', just trying to put different styles on the leadership group. But in the end, everyone has to be a leader and to help each other. I think he's doing really well, he's really aggressive, he's defending well. I think he has more quality with the ball than he's showing because he's still at the point that he doesn't want to make mistakes with the ball and he's doing that really well because that is a smart thing for a player to do. But when we reach a very good point, our three centre-backs will control the tempo and the quality of the game. We have, like I said, a lot of things to do in our team.”

Benjamin Sesko had to withdraw. How is he?
“We have to check. He has something in his knee. Let's see.”

Ahead of the Forest game, you spoke about the opportunity to go second and they didn’t take it. Today was the same. Do you think that there's a mental challenge for them in these situations to be at the top?
“No, I think today was different. I think we had a different energy. What I felt is I felt more control from the team today than against Nottingham [Forest], if you want to compare both games. I think against Nottingham, the energy wasn't there. Today was, we dropped a little bit in the second half because we were comfortable during the game. It was not about the second place today, it was one play and then everything that happened, even before the first goal. [We have to take out Harry] Maguire and Casemiro at the same time, a lot of problems, a lot of changes that can do something. Again one cross, one big opportunity from the opponent they scored, and then everything was really, really hard to cope. We cope with everything and managed to score."

Benjamin - before the injury - had two pretty good opportunities out there. Do you feel as though he's got a lack of confidence at the moment?
“No, I think that is not the biggest concern now. That happens - in the same way that he was not scoring and then he scored two goals in his next two games. That happens, especially with a striker. I'm more concerned with an injury, because it is in the knee and I don't know [how bad it is]. We need Ben to be a better team.”

Mbeumo, Mazraoui and Amad go away in January and you seem to struggle when Casemiro isn't in midfield. Do you need to add to the squad in January?
“We have to check everything. We have to check what's happened with Ben. Of course we already knew we would have a problem there [with AFCON] but we already knew. You can prepare that in the summer, you have a lot of players that are not going to play because it's one game a week, so you have to manage that situation, it's going to be hard. Let’s see when the window is open if we can improve the team, to see if we can repair something that's happened. We'll see."