Match Report: Manchester United 4-4 Bournemouth

Manchester United squandered their lead repeatedly to draw 4-4 with Bournemouth on Monday night.

While it was an impressive attacking performance from Man United , their defence appeared vulnerable and unaware, allowing Bournemouth to claw their way back into the contest on multiple occasions.

First half

United got the game off to a fiery start, sprinting upfield with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo all getting their feet on the ball. Amad played a wayward pass to Matheus Cunha , whose shot was blocked from close range.

The home side were ravenous for a goal, with Amad receiving the ball from Mason Mount before taking a shot that was deflected out of play. Moments later, Mount tried his luck, yet he was also denied by a parry. A minute later, Casemiro looked to make the most of his team’s corner, taking a powerful shot that was deflected wide.

In the 13th minute, United’s persistence paid off. Cunha leapt up to get his head on a Diogo Dalot cross. While the goalkeeper parried his shot, Amad was there to head the loose ball into the back of the net.

Twenty minutes in, Cunha attempted to get on the scoresheet with an audacious shot from outside the box, only for the ball to veer wide of the right post.

Casemiro was at it again, this time laying the ball off to Dalot, who sent the ball to Bryan Mbeumo in the box. Mbeumo was unable to get into an ideal position, tapping a soft shot toward goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who made a simple save.

In the 29th minute, the visitors embarked on a rare attack. Justin Kluivert sent a thunderous cross into the box, with Marcus Tavernier heading the ball straight at Lammens. The United keeper did well under pressure to maintain his team’s clean sheet.

Ten minutes before the break, United roared back to life as Cunha thumped a surgical cross to Mbeumo, whose volley veered over the crossbar. While the final product was lacking, it was a positive move from the United duo, which caught the visitors’ defence off guard.

With a little less than five minutes to go until the half-time break, United scuppered their lead. Antoine Semenyo charged from almost the halfway line down the left flank. While Mount and Bruno Fernandes raced back to try to stop the winger, none of United’s back three were in sight. With plenty of space, Semenyo struck the ball past Lammens into the bottom corner of the goal.

Yet again, United’s defence was caught sleeping, resulting in a goal being conceded despite their dominance throughout the match.

Moments after the restart, tempers began to flare up. Semenyo rose to head the ball, bumping into Dalot on his way down. The Bournemouth goalscorer lost his temper, rushing at Dalot before players from both teams broke the pair up. Both players were booked by the referee.

Kluivert laid the ball off to Tavernier on the edge of the box, whose effort was impressively saved by Lammens at full stretch.

Five minutes of added time were then announced, meaning United still had time to restore their lead before the break. United made haste with the time they had left, reestablishing their lead in the 49th minute. Fernandes’ corner found Casemiro at the far post, whose header bounced past the keeper and into the net.

It was an ideal end to the first half for United, who confidently headed into the break with the lead.

Second half

Mere moments after kick off, the visitors stunned United with a sneaky counter-attack. Evanilson breezed past a disorganised United defence to collect a long ball from Tavernier before slotting it past Lammens. The game stood at 2-2 with everything still to play for.

In the 50th minute, Casemiro received a yellow card for a foul on the edge of the box. Even more consequential, however, was the resultant free-kick.

Tavernier struck his free-kick hard and low past the wall and into the bottom left corner of the goal, leaving the United keeper with no chance of getting to the ball in time. The visitors snatched the lead in front of a shellshocked Old Trafford crowd.

With 30 minutes to play, Kobbie Mainoo came on for Casemiro , adding some fresh legs to the midfield.

Just nine minutes later, a double substitution was introduced. Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez came on for Mount and Leny Yoro .

A minute later, Mbeumo missed an absolute sitter. Receiving the ball just metres out from the goalline, Mbeumo skied his effort.

Cunha came close to scoring, taking a blistering shot from outside the box to force a parry from the keeper. Then, a handball on the edge of the box resulted in an opportune free kick for United.

Fernandes stepped up to take the set piece, showing great composure as he began his run-up. The United captain curved his shot around the wall, burying his shot in the top right corner out of the keeper’s reach. Fernandes was swamped by his teammates, and the home crowd responded with thunderous applause.

Then, straight after the kick-off, United struck yet again. Mbeumo laid the ball off to Sesko on the overlap, who passed the ball to Cunha in the middle. The Brazilian made no mistake as he put the ball past the goalkeeper, making for the perfect ending to a flawless counter-attack. 4-3 to United with just ten minutes left on the clock.

United’s jubilation was short-lived, with Bournemouth biting back yet again. Junior Kroupi got on the end of a slick pass from Alex Jimenez to equalise yet again for the visitors.

Eight minutes of added time were announced, giving United some additional time to redeem themselves with a late winner.

Amorim made his last two substitutions of the match, replacing Luke Shaw and Mbeumo with Patrick Dorgu and Joshua Zirkzee .

Bournemouth were first to ramp up the pressure in stoppage time, earning a corner that United did well to clear out of danger.

Jimenez caught United off guard, thumping a blistering shot goalwards that Lammens did well to stop with a quick leg save.

Sadly, there was no late winner in the mix, with the match ending in a draw.

While an impressive attacking performance by United, Amorim must do something to improve his defence if he hopes to stop dropping points, particularly when his team dominates the flow of play.

Starting XI: Lammens, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro , Fernandes, Dalot, Mbeumo, Mount, Cunha Subs: Mainoo, Martinez, Sesko, Dorgu, Mbeumo

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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