Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the second successive season on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils had fallen behind in their previous home outing and suffered the same fate in the 29th minute as Dean Huijsen headed in from a free kick, with the hosts unable to find an equaliser before the break as Bruno Fernandes spurned a trio of opportunities.
Justin Kluivert compounded United’s misery with an hour played as he won and scored a penalty before Antoine Semenyo then provided a shock third just two minutes later following a sweeping move.
The home side piled on the pressure in the closing stages as they sought some consolation but Bournemouth held on to their clean sheet as the Red Devils drew a blank.
How the game unfolded
Amad Diallo was the match-winner in the Manchester derby last weekend and he was presented with United’s first opening of Sunday’s contest. The ball fell kindly to the diminutive Ivorian 12 yards out but he was unable to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga with his whipped effort. With the form he’s in, he should have done better.
Bournemouth managed a stunning victory in this fixture last season and they showed early – and ultimately correct – ambitions of repeating that feat at Old Trafford. Their bright start was rewarded just before the half-hour mark as they took the lead, Huijsen’s flicked header pouring further misery on Ruben Amorim’s side from set pieces.
United had looked alarmingly toothless for much of the first half but they burst into life on the cusp of the half-time whistle. Three promising chances came the way of their skipper, with Fernandes warming Kepa’s gloves in between two wayward efforts.
Amorim made three changes shortly after the break in an attempt to turn the tide but soon found his side two goals behind on the hour mark. Noussair Mazraoui’s late lunge on Kluivert gifted Bournemouth a penalty, with the Dutch forward making no mistake from the resulting spot kick.
It took just two minutes for Bournemouth to grab a shock third at Old Trafford as United’s abject defence was torn apart. An excellent move down Bournemouth’s left-hand side resulted in Dango Ouatarra picking out Semenyo in the box, and the Ghanaian produced a composed finish to put the Cherries in dreamland.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho should have provided an immediate response when he was sent through on goal but the winger’s tame effort was rebuffed comfortably by the onrushing Kepa to keep Bournemouth’s lead intact.
United saw several opportunities come and go in the final 20 minutes but struggled to work Kepa, with Bournemouth continuing to pose a significant threat on the break. In the end, the hosts were unable to spark any late drama, falling to the worst defeat of Amorim’s reign thus far.
Check out the player ratings for Man Utd vs Bournemouth here.
Amorim’s start to life at Old Trafford has been mixed – and that’s if you’re an optimist. The Portuguese is yet to transform the Red Devils, who have been similarly lethargic and unconvincing since Erik ten Hag’s departure.
Sunday was quite clearly the worst defeat of Amorim’s tenure to date as Bournemouth outplayed and outworked his side. The Cherries were better in every aspect, all over the pitch. United simply couldn’t handle their intensity, nor could they consistently break down what is hardly an impenetrable defence.
Amorim promised to bring new ideas and an exciting philosophy to Old Trafford but the home faithful are yet to see significant evidence of major changes. There is always pressure on the manager of one of the world’s biggest clubs and he will have to answer his critics over the festive period.
Amorim will rightly be given plenty of time to make the necessary improvements in Manchester, but results and, arguably more importantly, performances must improve in the near future.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries are renowned for their high-intensity pressing. Such tenacity and relentlessness is what enabled Bournemouth to taste such a convincing victory at Old Trafford in the Premier League last season.
However, United were unable to learn from last term’s humbling defeat. The Red Devils were harried and pressurised from the first whistle, with the visitors playing with remarkable energy across the pitch. Whether deep in United territory or in the centre circle, Bournemouth were always chasing red shirts.
United struggled to play through such a well-organised press and repeatedly surrendered possession, often in key defensive areas. They finished up with 23 shots yet they were well beaten, bested by Bournemouth in almost every single defensive metric.
It was a chastening defeat for Amorim’s side who are still miles off where they need to be in and out of possession to compete under their new Portuguese coach. If you learn more in defeat than in victory, then Amorim has been thoroughly educated in recent weeks.
United’s struggles from set pieces have been well-documented this term and their organisational issues were laid bare once more against the Cherries. It was unsurprisingly from a set piece that Bournemouth took the lead and the ease with which they penetrated the Red Devils is mightily concerning.
The awarding of the free kick was questioned as Tyrell Malacia felled Adam Smith on United’s left-hand side, but the subsequent defending was simply not good enough. Huijsen, who also scored from a set piece against Tottenham Hotspur recently, managed to wriggle free of Joshua Zirkzee far too easily at the near post before producing a neat header.
After Bournemouth scored from the penalty spot in the second half, United have now conceded 45% of their Premier League goals from set pieces this season – the highest proportion of any team in the division by a considerable distance.
One of Amorim’s New Year’s resolutions must be to improve his side’s defensive organisation at set pieces.
