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Key events
Bournemouth just couldn’t get organised after Bruno’s goal, and Sesko carries the ball down the left. He aims a cross towards Diallo and although Truffert intercepts, he stumbles and presents the ball to Cunha, eight yards out. He takes a touch and drills it home!
GOAL! Man Utd 4-3 Bournemouth (Cunha 79′)
What a comeback. What a game! Manchester United retake the lead with Bournemouth all at sea – and it’s Matheus Cunha who gets the goal!
78 mins: Iraola makes a change, bringing Eli Kroupi on for Evanilson. Has the pendulum swung again in this game?
GOAL! Man Utd 3-3 Bournemouth (Fernandes 77′)
Oh, wow. You could almost sense this was coming, as Fernandes steps up and sends an unstoppable free kick into the far corner, flicking off the crossbar as a final flourish. United are level, and time’s on their side …
76 mins: Bournemouth don’t get the ball away and United get a free kick on the edge of the area for handball. Bruno will take it …
75 mins: Another opening for the hosts as Mainoo picks up the ball again and finds Cunha, whose swerving shot stings Petrovic’s palms!
74 mins: Mainoo moves forward and tries to find Sesko, but Senesi does well to nick the ball away.
73 mins: From a Bournemouth corner, Amad leads a charge downfield and crosses for Mbeumo – but his attempted through ball to Shaw is overcooked.
72 mins: Sesko has joined Mbeumo up front, with Cunha dropping to the left. Gary Neville believes this is a proper back four, but I’m not sure – Dalot has moved to the right, but Shaw now seems to be further forward.
70 mins: Cunha’s shot is charged down, leading to big calls for handball – but in the meantime, the rebound lands to Mbeumo, who blazes over from five yards out! He’s had chances tonight but just seems to keep snatching at them.
68 mins: Two more United changes – Lisandro Martínez replaces Yoro, and Benjamin Sesko is on for Mount. The big striker was due back from a knee injury but then suffered a bout of food poisoning.
66 mins: An unconvincing night for Petrovic continues, as the keeper palms a cross off the bar and behind. The corner ricochets into his arms, while Smith is left on the deck and looks a little dazed.
64 mins: United are far from resigned to defeat here, still poking plenty of holes in the visiting defence. Mount hooks in a teasing cross that evades Petrovic – but Cunha is just in the wrong place and the ball sails beyond him.
“When was the last time United lost a league game at home after having the lead at half-time?” asks F. “I am thinking it must be close to 40 years.” It’s never happened in the Premier League era, and I think the last time was in 1984, against Ipswich Town.
62 mins: Mainoo’s energy is needed in midfield, where Casemiro and Fernandes have been getting overrun. On the edge of the Bournemouth area, Mount finds Mbeumo, whose hurried shot lacks any real power.
61 mins: Amorim makes his first change, and it’s a popular one with the home fans – Kobbie Mainoo is coming on for Casemiro!
60 mins: At the other end, frustrated home fans urge Amad, then Mbeumo, then Fernandes to shoot from the edge of the area, and groan as the latter tries a scoop pass that doesn’t come off.
59 mins: United give the ball away and Bournemouth have a three-on-three – but Heaven does well to read Kluivert’s pass and clear the danger.
58 mins: Amad sends a cross skipping and bouncing across the area, but nobody is there to meet it and Mount can’t keep it in on the far side.
“To play like Bournemouth requires self-belief,” says Kari Tulinius. “If a lesser side gave up a goal as silly as United’s second, heads could drop. Especially given their run lately. But they back themselves, and now they’re ahead.” Yes, credit where it’s due. The United of the first half don’t seem to be out here now, though.
55 mins: United are trying to haul themselves off the canvas, but Fernandes sends a chipped cross well behind Petrovic’s goal.
54 mins: Gary Neville thinks Lammers should have done better with that Tavernier free kick, suggesting the keeper was caught on his heels. I think he was unsighted by Fernandes and Cunha, who left a big gap between them for some reason.
52 mins: A first half of real promise has unravelled quickly for Manchester United. Somewhere in a content creation bunker, Frank is wiping tears (and his hair) from his eyes.
GOAL! Man Utd 2-3 Bournemouth (Tavernier 51′)
Tavernier steps up and smashes a terrific free kick, keeping it low and finding a gap between Fernandes and Cunha. The ball skids into the bottom corner, and Bournemouth have hit three at Old Trafford again!
50 mins: The lively Tavernier races upfield and with the goal in his sights, is tripped by Casemiro on the edge of the area. It’s a textbook yellow card, and a big chance for Bournemouth …
49 mins: Bournemouth win a free kick, which is cleared after a spell of head tennis. Mbeumo leads the charge downfield, but Dalot’s ball inside sells Fernandes short …
“Has there ever been a more inept United era in extending a lead or even holding on to one?” wrote Paul Mallon after Semenyo’s goal, before inviting me to “save my email for later in the game. It’ll no doubt be relevant very soon.”
GOAL! Man Utd 2-2 Bournemouth (Evanilson 46′)
And immediately, Bournemouth are level! Tavernier picks out Evanilson, who exploits a ragged United back line to get in behind and roll the ball beyond Lammens. That’s his first league goal since August.
Second half
We’re back under way …
Another concern for United is that two of their best performers in the first half – Amad and Mbeumo – are heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations tomorrow. Ruben Amorim has a job on to cover for their absence, plus Noussair Mazraoui.
“United suffocated Bournemouth for most of that half,” says Nelson Calvinho. “I don’t think Amorim will change his tactical experiment just because of one individual mistake by Shaw.” Maybe, but then Shaw wouldn’t have been in that position. But yes, there have been positives to the new approach.
Half time! Man Utd 2-1 Bournemouth
The half-time whistle is met by rousing applause from the home fans, who will have liked what they saw. United had 17 shots and played with a speed and dynamism that has been lacking so often in recent history. On the down side, they still conceded a sloppy goal, and Bournemouth have what it takes to spoil this party.
GOAL! Man Utd 2-1 Bournemouth (Casemiro 48′)
And from the corner, United retake the lead! Bruno Fernandes’ corner is excellent, swinging towards the far post, and Casemiro gets free to head beyond Petrovic! The keeper should have done better, but Unied are good value for their lead.
47 mins: Casemiro gets his head to it, but the ball bobbles behind off Senesi …
46 mins: Five added minutes, with United getting a free kick as Kluivert clatters Fernandes about five seconds too late.
45 mins: Bournemouth are ending this frenetic first half on top, with Evanilson almost prodding home at the near post and Tavernier’s shot from 20 yards parried away by Lammens.
43 mins: Dalot pushes Semenyo off the ball while the winger is in the air – and he responds by putting his hand on Dalot’s neck. Simon Hooper takes both players aside, and issues a yellow card to both. Semenyo was awfully close to the line there …
Shaw is knocked off the ball by Kluivert and Adam Smith keeps the ball in by the touchline and prods it through to Semenyo. With neither Shaw nor Dalot anywhere near him, he races through down the right, with Mount chasing in vain. Semenyo looks up, sees a lack of options, and sends a low shot crashing in off the far post.
GOAL! Man Utd 1-1 Bournemouth (Semenyo 40′)
A terrific finish from Antoine Semenyo, ending his dry spell – but possibly the end of Ruben Amorim’s false back four experiment.
39 mins: United slice through the high Bournemouth line again and Casemiro has Mbeumo to his right, but opts to shoot from a tight angle, finding only the side netting.
37 mins: Another half-chance for Bournemouth as Evanilson is crowded out in the United area. Next goal feels crucial, if you’ll forgive my starting the obvious.
“Has Ruben Amorim just invented the False Back Four (in the cunning guise of 3-4-3)?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “I feel a new Wilson book on the horizon; Perverting the Pyramid?”
I’m sure Fabio Capello tried this sort of lopsided back four in an England game, many moons ago. Does anyone else remember this?
35 mins: Cunha may not be scoring as much as United fans would like, but he’s shown some flashes of brilliance in the first half. Here, he brings a long ball down and crosses for Mbeumo, who can’t keep his acrobatic effort on target.
33 mins: Cunha delivers another excellent diagonal ball from the centre circle, setting Amad free. The winger hares upfield and cuts beyond one defender – but with the goal at his mercy, he’s denied by a terrific block from Adam Smith!
32 mins: Yoro chops down Alex Jiménez, conceding a free kick – but Bournemouth get tangled up and United have a chance to break …
31 mins: Now Kluivert has a go from a similar distance, and his shot bobbles harmlessly across the area. Still, some pushback from the visitors in the last five minutes.
29 mins: A wake-up call for United, then, having dominated the opening 25 minutes but scored just once. Semenyo tees up Evanilson, who skews his volley wide. Just one Premier League goal this season for the Brazilian.
27 mins: Having been under the cosh, Bournemouth should be level here! Semenyo rolls the ball back to Kluivert, whose cross is perfect for the on-rushing Tavernier – but he heads the ball at Lammers, who does well to repel it from close range.
24 mins: No further action after a VAR check, but United keep going, with Amad’s shot blocked before Mbeumo tries to place his effort beyond Petrovic, but doesn’t add the required power.
22 mins: Again, Mount seizes on the ball and United win a corner. Bournemouth look really sluggish, and need to get off the ropes here. They’re helped when Dalot is penalised for a foul; there’s a VAR check on Scott, who was leaning on Casemiro when the ball struck his arm.
“It was reported that Amorim might start experimenting with a back four with Afcon taking Amad and Mbeumo out of the equation,” notes Alan McNamara. “Will it only be a temporary measure though? I like what I see so far.”
20 mins: Mount pounces on slow play out from the back and United move the ball quickly across goal, Amad backheeling smartly to Mbeumo. They’ve been dominant thus far.
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