Saturday briefing: Ruben Amorim responds to Arne Slot as Sheff Wed eye new era

Ruben Amorim responded to Arne Slot’s apparent criticism of Manchester United’s style as the Portuguese boss looks to mastermind a third straight Premier League victory.

On the pitch, Leeds piled more misery on West Ham with a 2-1 victory at Elland Road on Friday night.

And in the Championship, Sheffield Wednesday’s 12-point deduction for going into administration was met by optimism from supporters who have been fighting to get rid of owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Amorim dismisses Slot jibe

Ruben Amorim does not care what Arne Slot has to say about his Manchester United team after the Liverpool boss spoke of low blocks and long balls following last weekend’s 2-1 win at Anfield encounter.

It was Liverpool’s fourth straight loss in all competitions and Reds boss Slot said afterwards that “it is always difficult to play against a team that defends in a low block and mainly plays the long ball”.

But such comments are water off a duck’s back to Amorim, who had no interest in the Dutchman’s assessment as he prepares for Brighton’s visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.

“Liverpool is in the past, I don’t want to comment,” he said. “That is not important.

“Important is what Fabian (Hurzeler) said to try to understand what is going to happen (against Brighton).

“(Liverpool) was an important win, but I was the first one to say that we need to play better with the ball. So, I don’t care what Slot is saying, what people are saying about our team.”

Wednesday fans heed the call

Sheffield Wednesday’s uphill battle to stay in the Championship has got even tougher after the appointment of administrators triggered a 12-point penalty, leaving the Owls 15 adrift of safety at the bottom of the second tier.

However, optimism already appears to be outweighing any anxiety fans might be feeling.

Supporters were quick to answer a plea from joint administrator Kris Wingfield – himself a Wednesday season ticket holder since 1984 – to back the club with their cash.

News of Dejphon Chansiri’s exit sparked queues at the Hillsborough ticket office and the club shop as fans immediately ended the boycott aimed at forcing the Thai owner out.

Seats spelling out Chansiri’s name in the North Stand at Hillsborough were ripped out, as the focus turns to securing new ownership.

Owls manager Henrik Pedersen said: “It’s a sad situation that a club with our history has to go into administration. But this is one side of the bread, the other side is this is also the beginning of a new era, we can get a fresh restart and we can start to look into the future and create something positive again.”

Leeds dispatch sorry West Ham

Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon scored early goals as Leeds beat West Ham 2-1 at Elland Road to heap more misery on the Londoners.

Aaronson pounced on a rebound before Rodon headed Leeds 2-0 up inside 15 minutes and they held on for their third Premier League win of the season after Hammers substitute Mateus Fernandes’ last-minute header cut the deficit.

West Ham have made their worst start to a top-flight season, with four points from their first nine matches, and after their winless league run was extended to six games they remain in the bottom three.

Hammers head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced the sacked Graham Potter in September, has not won any of his four games in charge, while Leeds climbed up to 13th in the table ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

Nuno said: “We are worried, but we are committed and embrace the challenge that we have ahead – it’s a big one, a big, big one.”

What’s on today?

Chelsea host Sunderland at Stamford Bridge while Fulham go to Newcastle in the Premier League’s only two 3pm fixtures.

In the later games, Brighton travel to Old Trafford to play Manchester United before Brentford play host to Liverpool at 8pm.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses take on Brazil in an international friendly at the Etihad Stadium.