MANCHESTER UNITED 4-4 BOURNEMOUTH: One of the most open games of the Premier League season ended all-square in a thriller at Old Trafford with Man Utd leaving with regrets
One of the matches of the Premier League season saw both Bournemouth and Manchester United in touching distance of victory. In the end, though, both had to settle for a point after a Monday night classic.
Ruben Amorim’s hosts dominated en route to a 2-1 half-time lead before proving their own worst enemies as Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier struck in quick succession before drama struck in the final 15 minutes. Goals in double-quick time from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha put the hosts back in front, only for Eli Junior Kroupi to level from the bench.
United dominated early on but only had one goal to show for it as they entered the closing stages of the first half, and were punished as Antoine Semenyo cancelled out Amad’s opener. The hosts were back in front at the break, though, with Casemiro on target deep into stoppage time when visiting keeper Djordje Petrovic was too weak to keep out the Brazilian’s header.
Moments after the restart, though, it was all square again as Evanilson escaped a sleeping United defence before rolling home. and it was 3-2 to the visitors shortly after as Tavernier put away a free-kick after being felled by United scorer Casemiro.
United rung the changes, with the returning Benjamin Sesko among those thrown on by Ruben Amorim, and were ultimately rewarded. Seconds after Fernandes’ free-kick equaliser, Cunha collected a weak Adrien Truffert clearance and slammed the ball home, but Bournemouth weren’t done and substitute Kroupi kept a cool head to give Senne Lammens no chance with barely six minutes to go.
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United threatened inside 90 seconds with Amad and Bryan Mbeumo leading a rapid attack, only for Bournemouth to get bodies in the way of Bruno Fernandes’ eventual shot. Mason Mount was the next to go close, with his driven effort beaten away by Petrovic.
They didn’t have to wait that much longer. When the opener arrived, it came after the two wing-backs combined, with Petrovic only able to touch Diogo Dalot’s teasing cross into the path of a grateful Amad who couldn’t miss.
Bournemouth offered little going forward in the opening half hour and Andoni Iraola may well have felt Marcus Tavernier’s header straight at Senne Lammens was a chance they couldn’t afford to miss. At the other end, a flying volley from Mbeumo might have lifted the roof off Old Trafford had it crept a little lower.
It was truly a game of two halves, though, with Bournemouth catching United cold with their one-two punch within 10 minutes of the restart before even more drama followed. Here are Mirror Football‘s talking points from Old Trafford.
1. The good and bad of Casemiro
United had a remarkable 17 shots in the first half, but it was only in the final knockings that they ensured they went in ahead at the break. Casemiro got the goal, but he could easily have scored earlier.
The midfielder has only scored more than four league goals in two of his seasons as a pro, dating back to 2010. This was his fourth in 15 appearances this term.
His joy didn’t last long, though, with a yellow card early in the second half ensuring he’ll miss the weekend meeting with Aston Villa through suspension. It’s his second ban of the campaign, with the other coming after a red card against Chelsea, and Kobbie Mainoo was given half an hour in his place on Monday – perhaps with one eye on Sunday.
2. Back four reinvention has to wait
Ahead of the match, Ruben Amorim indicated he might switch from his trusted back three to a back four. His selection left either as an option, with questions over whether Diogo Dalot would operate as a wing-back or a full-back, and things appeared fluid to begin with.
There were moments when United appeared to revert to a four, with one of the nominal wing-backs dropping deep as the other advanced. However, a full departure from the Amorim system this was not.
Frustratingly for United, it was a night to forget for the entire back-line. That includes the often reliable goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who arguably could have done a lot better with Tavernier’s effort.
3. AFCON will hurt Amorim
Amad was at the centre of so much of United’s good work in the first half, but Amorim will now be without the Ivorian for as long as the Africa Cup of Nations holders remain in the tournament. And that’s a problem, because few can replicate his role in the team.
The former Atalanta man probably won’t score an easier goal than the one he put away early on, while a mazy run shortly after the half-hour mark caused real problems. It may be that United experiment with different ways of attacking during his absence rather than trying to put square pegs in round holes.
Not only that, but Bryan Mbeumo will be absent as well. Noussair Mazraoui was already unavailable, with the Moroccan robbing United of cover across the back-line while on duty with the AFCON hosts.
4. Semenyo shows why he’s in demand
On Sunday, there was plenty of chatter about Erling Haaland taking advantage for Manchester City after barely getting a sniff of goal early on. The next day, Antoine Semenyo showed two can play at that game.
The Ghanaian needed barely a sniff to level things up in the first half after Luke Shaw was caught in possession. It was moments like this which will leave Bournemouth delighted Ghana failed to qualify for AFCON this time around.
Whether they keep hold of Semenyo throughout January is another matter, with a number of the league’s big hitters involved. And throughout this season we’ve seen why.
5. United’s clean sheet problem
In 17 matches this season, Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet. That came against Sunderland, more than two months ago.
Their defending against Bournemouth suggested they may have to wait a while for their next one as well. United had more of the shots but still provided far too many opportunities to the visitors.
They might want to cling onto the memory of shutting out upcoming opponents Villa when the sides met on the final day of last season. At this rate, though, it would take a miracle for Villa to draw another blank.
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