MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester United drew 4-4 with Bournemouth on Monday in one of the Premier League’s best games.
“It’s never fun playing against Bournemouth,” United manager Ruben Amorim said before the game, but those were prophetic words on a night when Bournemouth had the most chances but only managed to take one point.
The Cherries had beaten United 3-0 on their previous two visits to Old Trafford, but with the home side in control from the start and finding a goal after 13 minutes, it seemed highly unlikely that would happen again.
Diogo Dalot’s lofted cross fell to Amad Diallo, who nodded almost over the goal line.
United dominated in the first half, but Antoine Semenyo equalized for Bournemouth after 40 minutes. Poor defending saw United lose the ball on the left and Semenyo came forward and fired an angled shot under Senne Lamence.
Casemiro restored United’s lead with a header from a Bruno Fernandes corner kick just before half-time. Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic fluttered at the Brazilian’s shot.
Things were different after the break, with the visitors scoring twice in six minutes to take the lead for the first time.
Evanilsson finished well after receiving a wonderful through ball from Marcus Tavernier and six minutes later Tavernier fired a left-footed shot over the United wall to put Bournemouth ahead 3-2 and silence the home crowd.
United fought back, with often-savior Fernandes curling a superb free-kick into the top corner with 13 minutes remaining, and two minutes later Matheus Cunha latched onto a loose ball in the box and produced a clinical finish to put the hosts back in the lead at 4-3.
However, Bournemouth had the reserves of resilience to come back for the third time in the game.
With six minutes left, Eli Junior Crupi took control with one touch and curled a side-footer past Lamence for a stunning goal.
“It’s definitely an enjoyable game for the fans,” Tavernier said, “but it was a little frustrating for us on the pitch. We started very slow in the first half, but we stayed in the game and came out in the second half and did what we had to do.”
“The start of the second half was great for us on the pitch. We were in a great position in the game. Unfortunately we conceded such a poor goal.”
As a result, Manchester United moved up to 6th place. Bournemouth are now 13th in the league without a win in seven games.
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