Manchester United 4-4 Bournemouth: One of the most open matches of the Premier League season ended all square in a thriller at Old Trafford, with Manchester United sent off with regrets.
In one match during the Premier League season, both Bournemouth and Manchester United came close to winning. But in the end, both players needed points after Monday night’s classic match.
Ruben Amorim’s hosts dominated the game en route to a 2-1 lead at half-time, but a series of goals from Evanilsson and Marcus Tavernier proved to be their biggest challenge before drama erupted in the final 15 minutes. Two goals from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha put the home team in the lead again, but Eli Junior Crupi equalized off the bench.
United had the upper hand early on, but only managed one goal late in the first half, with Antoine Semenyo canceling out Amad’s opener and taking a penalty. However, the home side regained the lead towards the end of the first half and Casemiro found the target late in stoppage time, but visiting keeper Djordje Petrovic was too weak to prevent the Brazilian’s header.
However, immediately after the restart, Evanilsson broke free from the sleeping United defenders and rolled home, putting things back on track. Moments later, Tavernier converted a free-kick that United’s scorer Casemiro brought down, making it 3-2 for the visitors.
United made changes, bringing back Benjamin Sesco from among the players introduced by Ruben Amorim, which ultimately paid off. Seconds after Fernandes’ free-kick equalized, Cunha picked up Adrian Truffert’s weak clearance and smashed the ball home, but that wasn’t the end for Bournemouth, with substitute Crupi keeping his cool and denying Senne Lamence a chance with six minutes remaining.
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United threatened within 90 seconds with quick attacks from Amadou and Brian Mbeumo, but in the end Bournemouth put their bodies on the line to deny Bruno Fernandes. Mason Mount was next, but his effort was beaten by Petrovic.
They didn’t have to wait that long. The first goal came after the two wing-backs combined. Petrovic could only direct Diogo Dalot’s defiant cross into the path of a grateful Amado who couldn’t have missed it.
Bournemouth had barely made any headway in the first 30 minutes and manager Andoni Iraola may have felt Marcus Tavernier’s header straight at Senne Lamence was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss. At the other end, Mbeumo’s flying volley might have lifted the Old Trafford roof a little lower.
But it was very much a back-and-forth game, with Bournemouth putting United out cold with a one-two punch within 10 minutes of the restart, and more drama ensued. Let’s talk about mirror football at Old Trafford.
1. Casemiro’s good and bad points
United had an incredible 17 shots on goal in the first half, but it was their final knock just before half-time that ensured they took the lead. Casemiro scored the goal, but he could have easily done it sooner.
The midfielder has only scored more than four league goals in two seasons as a professional, dating back to 2010. This was his fourth goal in 15 games this season.
However, his joy was short-lived as he received a yellow card early in the second half, ensuring he will miss this weekend’s match against Aston Villa due to suspension. This is Koby Mainu’s second suspension of the season, the other being for a red card against Chelsea.He was given 30 minutes in his place on Monday, but will likely have one eye on Sunday.
2. The reinvention of the back four will have to wait
Prior to the match, Ruben Amorim hinted at the possibility of switching from his trusted back three to a back four. Things appeared to be in flux from the start, with his selection left as an option and there were doubts as to whether Diogo Dalot would play as a wing-back or a full-back.
There were moments when it looked like United were reverting to a back four, with one nominal wing-back dropping deep and the other moving forward. However, this was not a complete departure from the Amorim system.
It was a disappointing night for United, but a night to forget for the entire backline. That includes often reliable goalkeeper Senne Lamence, who perhaps could have done better with Tavernier’s efforts.
3. AFCON hurts Amorim
Amad was at the heart of United’s strong performance in the first half, but Amorim will be without the Ivorian as long as the African Cup of Nations holders remain in the tournament. This is a problem because there are very few people on the team who can replicate his role.
The ex-Atalanta player probably wouldn’t have scored an easier goal than the one he scored early on, but a stray move after the half-hour created a big problem. Perhaps United are experimenting with different attacking methods in his absence, rather than trying to drive a square peg into a round hole.
Not only that, but Brian Mbeumo will also be absent. Nousser Mazraoui is already unavailable, with the Moroccan player crossing United’s last line for cover during his stint with the AFCON hosts.
4. Semenyo shows why he is wanted.
There was a lot of talk on Sunday about Erling Haaland capitalizing on Manchester City’s opportunity after narrowly missing out on a goal early on. The next day, Antoine Semenyo showed that the two can play in that match.
The Ghanaian players leveled up with just a sniff in the first half after Luke Shaw had possession. Moments like this will make Bournemouth happy that Ghana missed out on AFCON qualification this time around.
With so many of the league’s best hitters involved, whether they keep Semenyo through January is another question. And throughout this season, we learned why.
5. United’s clean sheet problem
Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet in 17 games this season. That was over two months ago against Sunderland.
His defensive performance against Bournemouth suggested he might have to wait a while for the next game. Although United had more shots on goal, they still gave the visitors too many chances.
They may want to cling to the memory of shutting out their next opponent, Villa, when the two teams met on the final day of last season. But as things stand, it will take a miracle for Villa to draw another blank.
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