Manchester Utd vs Bournemouth: the Cherries reign at Old Trafford
Manchester United were booed off as they sorrowed a three-goal home loss by high-flying Bournemouth for the second year in a row as Ruben Amorim’s men lost for the third time in four Premier League matches.
Manchester United will face Christmas in 13th place after a 3-0 drubbing by Bournemouth at Old Trafford. The defeat marked another below-par display under new manager Amorim, leaving the team with just seven points from six matches since his appointment.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are flying high in fifth, a position that could potentially secure Champions League football depending on English clubs’ European performances this season.
Bournemouth Exploit United’s Defensive Frailties
The game turned in the 29th minute when Dean Huijsen headed Bournemouth into the lead, exposing United’s ongoing issues defending set-pieces.
Two more goals followed: Justin Kluivert converted a penalty after being fouled by Noussair Mazraoui, and Antoine Semenyo capitalized on a Dango Ouattara cross following a Kobbie Mainoo error.
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The defensive vulnerabilities were glaring, with United failing to recover. Manager Amorim, for the third game running, omitted Marcus Rashford from the squad. Rashford, watching from the stands, witnessed United’s struggles firsthand.
Set-Piece Woes Continue
Despite pre-match warm-up drills focused on set-piece defense, United’s problems persisted. Huijsen’s goal came from a simple Ryan Christie delivery, which United failed to defend.
This follows recent set-piece lapses, including conceding twice to Arsenal, falling to Nottingham Forest at home, and being eliminated from the EFL Cup by a direct corner from Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.
These repeated failures put United’s set-piece coach, Carlos Fernandes, under scrutiny.
Few Positives for United
United had opportunities, notably when Bruno Fernandes saw his effort saved by on-loan Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Substitute Leny Yoro also came close late on, but the match was beyond reach by then.
While adapting to Amorim’s tactics was expected to take time, the anticipated new-manager bounce has been short-lived. For Amorim, Christmas offers little comfort as United face mounting pressure to turn their season around.