Manchester United and Bournemouth played out a staggering 4–4 draw at Old Trafford on Monday night which will live long in the memories of those fortunate enough to drink in the mayhem.
This game had everything. Eight goals, two direct free kicks and a raft of tactical ploys running beneath it. But there would be no winner.
United started much the better and twice took the lead in a one-sided first half. Yet, Bournemouth rallied after the interval, scoring two goals in rapid succession to find themselves 3–2 up. In a contest which didn’t so much ebb and flow as crash violently from one end of the pitch to the other, United nabbed two in two minutes of their own to retake the lead.
Junior Kroupi would have the last word, rattling in an 84th-minute equaliser—Bournemouth’s third of the evening—to make bring the scoring to an end. The visitors, however, still had time to force Senne Lammens into a pair of superb stoppage-time saves.
“It’s true that we have good memories,” Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola wistfully recalled of his recent trips to Old Trafford ahead of kickoff. “Unfortunately, today is going to be more difficult.” The pessimistic Cherries boss was emphatically correct; United did make it a lot more difficult for the visitors. They also made it a lot more difficult for themselves.
Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth (3-4-2-1)
GK: Senne Lammens—5.7: Could do nothing about the precise finishing of Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson but did not help himself by jumping late for Marcus Tavernier’s free kick. Heroically denied Bournemouth a fifth in stoppage time.
CB: Leny Yoro—5.9: Exemplified the aggression of United’s entire defensive unit, leaping out of the backline to put pressure on the ball with plenty of bravery but mixed success.
CB: Ayden Heaven—6.1: Anchoring the defence for the first time in his young career, the teenager got caught out of position when Evanilson fired Bournemouth level.
CB: Luke Shaw—5.9: Guilty of giving the ball away for Bournemouth’s first equaliser, when he was far too easily bumped to the side. Struggled to find his balance all game.
RWB: Amad Diallo—8.2: Whatever role you want to say he played, Amad did it superbly. The only downside to the industrious and dextrous display delivered by the wide man was that it will be his last in a United shirt for a while.
CM: Casemiro—7.4: Endured an hour of highs and lows. Scored himself yet also gave away the free kick which ultimately put Bournemouth ahead by the time he trudged off the pitch.
CM: Bruno Fernandes—8.8: While his positional discipline can be questioned, there is no doubting the technical quality or feverish desire of United’s skipper.
LWB: Diogo Dalot—7.3: Demonstrated some rare attacking endeavour to deliver an excellent ball for the opening goal.
RF: Bryan Mbeumo—7.2: Forever hovering in that half-space between centre back and left back, neither Marcos Senesi nor Adrien Truffert ever got a grip of Mbeumo.
ST: Matheus Cunha—8.6: Bournemouth’s centre backs will have sleepless nights about Cunha, who wreaked havoc from his false nine posting.
LF: Mason Mount—7.2: Not quite as involved as his fellow forwards. Mount’s most devastating pass of the night was the ball which inadvertently led to Semenyo’s goal.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Kobbie Mainoo (61’ for Casemiro) | 6.8 |
| Lisandro Martínez (69’ for Yoro) | 6.4 |
| Benjamin Šeško (69’ for Mount) | 5.9 |
| Patrick Dorgu (90’ for Shaw) | N/A |
| Joshua Zirkzee (90’ for Mbeumo) | N/A |
Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Tyler Fredricson, Tyrell Malacia, Manuel Ugarte.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Djordje Petrović; Adam Smith, Bafodé Diakité, Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffert; Marcus Tavernier, Tyler Adams; Álex Jiménez, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo; Evanilson.
Subs used: Alex Scott, Junior Kroupi, James Hill, David Brooks.
Player of the match: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
Man Utd 4–4 Bournemouth: How It Unfolded at Old Trafford
All the talk heading into Monday night’s contest revolved around Amorim’s choice of formation. “A change is coming,” the Portuguese coach told his players last week, supposedly hinting at finally ditching the 3-4-2-1 system which has been a fixture of his roller-coaster tenure, per The Athletic.
That dramatic change would theoretically have been enforced by the departure of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, yet the pair were allowed to play before heading off to AFCON. Amad was pushed slightly higher than his familiar wingback role with Leny Yoro tucking across to the right, but in reality the radical alteration which was promised never came to pass. It didn’t matter.
While many in the Old Trafford stands were squinting at the pitch in search of a tactical switch, United’s players got on with the job of delivering their most impressive half of football this season. The hosts had taken 12 shots, racked up an xG of 1.8 and scored the opening goal before Bournemouth had a single effort of their own in the first half-hour.
Given all the speculation over formations, it seemed fitting that the two figures nominally starting at wingback would combine to break the deadlock. Diogo Dalot chopped onto his stronger right foot from the left flank and whipped a devilish cross into the box. Matheus Cunha failed to make contact but did enough to put off Djordje Petrović, whose half-save popped up for Amad to nod in from one yard out.
United had their collective foot pressed on Bournemouth’s neck in those opening exchanges. Yet, the hosts’ advantage somehow remained at just a single goal over those opening 40 minutes and Semenyo demonstrated the clinical edge which his opponents had lacked.
The first example of ponderous passing from Amorim’s side was ruthlessly pounced upon. Semenyo speared through the cloud of confusion between Mount and Luke Shaw, driving into the box before picking out the bottom corner with a wonderfully crisp finish.
The Red Devils deservedly restored their lead on the cusp of half time. In a continuation of the gradual process Amorim is undertaking to restore United to something which closely resembles a competent football club, set pieces have been greatly improved. Casemiro peeled to the back post to head the hosts in front from a corner in first-half stoppage time, taking their seasonal tally to nine dead-ball goals, a figure only Arsenal can better. United led 2–1 at the interval.
But as has so often been the case for United under the current regime, the step forward in progress was swiftly followed by two paces back.
For all the talk of systems, Amorim had left Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes as an isolated midfield pairing. Marcus Tavernier promptly found himself behind that exposed duo twice within 10 minutes of the restart.
Just 40 seconds had elapsed by the time Bournemouth were once again level. Tavernier latched onto Marcos Senesi’s header on halfway behind Fernandes, giving him space to stride forward and slide Evanilson into the patch of unguarded grass which the young Ayden Heaven had inadvertently vacated by pushing too far forward. The teenager was remorselessly punished by a brilliant finish from Bournemouth’s No. 9.
Tavernier once again got the jump on United’s double pivot five minutes later, leading a dangerous counter-attack which Casemiro brought to a cynical halt with a foul on the edge of the box. Tavernier promptly got back to his feet, brushed himself off and stuffed the ball into the bottom corner.
For all Fernandes’s failings off the ball—which are a consequence of the system rather than any question of endeavour—there are few in red as impressive in possession. That technical supremacy was on full display in the 77th minute, as United’s skipper trumped Tavernier’s set piece with an even better free kick which arced into the top corner of Petrović’s loosely guarded goal, drawing United level at 3–3.
Riding the wave of ecstasy and energy coursing through Old Trafford, Cunha fired United in front with a goal borne out of sheer urgency. Benjamin Šeško, whose second-half arrival belatedly prompted that widely billed shift to a back four, was so eager to charge onto the ball he barged Mbeumo out of his way, firing a square pass which Adrien Truffert mistakenly diverted straight to the grateful Cunha.
It was a goal befitting the chaos which had unfolded over the previous 84 minutes that drew Bournemouth level once again. Álex Jiménez bundled his way through a cluster of red shirts to shovel a pass through for Junior Kroupi. The substitute was surrounded by even more United players yet still had enough time to take a touch and fire past Senne Lammens before Lisandro Martínez could veer around on the cover.
Man Utd vs. Bournemouth Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Man Utd | Bournemouth |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.49 | 0.99 |
| Total Shots | 17 | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 4 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 81% | 68% |
| Fouls | 8 | 8 |
| Corners | 4 | 2 |
Man Utd vs. Bournemouth Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Man Utd | Bournemouth |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 56% | 44% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 3.29 | 1.86 |
| Total Shots | 25 | 14 |
| Shots on Target | 9 | 9 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 6 |
| Pass Accuracy | 78% | 67% |
| Fouls | 15 | 12 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Bournemouth: Breathless Goal-Fest Leaves Both Teams Unhappy.