Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United played their part in a breathtaking Premier League encounter that somehow ended in a 4-4 draw with Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The Reds set the tone for an entertaining evening from the opening whistle, pressing their visitors with an intense tempo and carving opportunities with ease.
Amad eventually opened the scoring following a dominating quarter, with Andoni Iraola left shaking his head with the one-sided nature of proceedings.
Although Antoine Semenyo levelled late in the half against the run of play, Casemiro restored a deserved home advantage with an injury-time header.
But the sides were level again within 40 seconds of the restart through Evanilson, before Marcus Tavernier silenced the home support moments later from a smart set-piece.
A late five-minute sweeping spell saw Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha turn the tie on its head until Eli Junior Kroupi notched the game’s final goal with six minutes remaining.
David Brooks tested Senne Lammens twice in the dying exchange’s, but the Belgian ensured his side would retain a point from a dizzy evening in the North West.
The result leaves United in sixth place after an enthralling weekend of domestic football, with a barrage of questions inevitably going to surface following another missed opportunity for this Jekyll-and-Hyde outfit.
Manchester United and Bournemouth deliver a breathtaking encounter at Old Trafford
With much of the pre-game conversation focusing on potential formation changes and the availability of a trio of AFCON-bound stars, Amorim named a familiar-looking XI containing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad.
His side entered the fixture undefeated in their previous three Premier League outings, knowing that a win would lift them into the European places and within touching distance of the top four.
But nothing is ever guaranteed in England’s top tier, and the memory of back-to-back Old Trafford defeats against the Cherries left an undeniable reminder of the task at hand.
Undeterred by the weight of recent history, United burst out of the blocks with intent, dictating the opening quarter with sublime passages of fluid attacking football.
Their efforts were rewarded after 13 minutes when Amad headed home the simplest of efforts following an exquisite Diogo Dalot delivery.
Iraola’s side has cultivated a reputation as a pressing machine with league-leading metrics. However, it was the team in red that earned the statisticians’ plaudits with a staggering work rate.
To put this into perspective: with 25 minutes played, Rubens Reds had fashioned 12 attempts on goal and had their guests at sixes and sevens across the field.
Nonetheless, the Premier League is fickle, and despite their struggles, Tavernier will feel he should have equalised on the half-hour mark when his headed effort was repelled by a relieved Lammens.
But Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo, and Amad were breathtaking, and a brace of quick opportunities fashioned between the quartet led to an immediate Bournemouth retreat.
For those of you reading who were unable to watch the game, their interplay was as close to champagne football as the Theatre of Dreams has witnessed in some time.
Still, as good as the attack has become, the defence is regularly the architect of its own downfall.
With minutes of the half remaining, a poor touch from Luke Shaw led to a rare opportunity for Semenyo to maraud forward before showcasing his quality with an expert finish.
Amorim’s side refused to let their heads drop, though, and reclaimed a deserved advantage in the final seconds of injury time courtesy of a trademark Casemiro header from a Bruno corner delivery.
| First half statistics via Sofascore.com | Manchester United | Bournemouth |
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Shots | 17 | 7 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 2 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.62 | 0.99 |
| Passes | 179 | 166 |
As is well known, this United project has a soft underbelly, and the Stretford End was silenced within a minute of the restart by Evanilson.
The Brazilian broke a three-month scoring drought with a delicate touch and finish after a juvenile Manchester defence was picked apart with relative ease.
Astonishingly, Tavernier gave the travelling contingent the lead within five minutes, placing a fine set-piece beyond the outstretched fingers of a flat-footed Lammens.
Enter Kobbie Mainoo in place of Casemiro on the hour mark, with the vast majority in attendance standing in a unified applause for the academy starlet.
His arrival immediately lifted the mood, with Lisandro Martinez and Benjamin Sesko also introduced in a renewed 424 structure for the final 25 minutes.
Bournemouth sat back, United powered forward, and the Red Army responded in kind, screaming for attacking intent.
Cometh the hour, cometh the Portuguese magnifico. As he has done multiple times, Fernandes delivered an inch-perfect free-kick into the top corner to set up a blockbuster final quarter.
Cunha added a fourth within 90 seconds in front of an adoring audience, latching onto Sesko’s attempted cross before capping a fine individual performance.
Sensationally, Eli Junior hit the eighth goal of the evening with five minutes remaining, beating a helpless Lammens following a passage of pinball football on the edge of the box.
A frantic encounter was handed one final jolt of adrenaline when the fourth official confirmed eight minutes of added time to a round of applause, but it was the visitors who came closest through the outstretched head of Brooks.
Although the attacking element was enjoyable, and Amorim’s in-game substitutions offered hope of tactical flexibility, the frailty of his defence is cause for serious concern.
For clarity, it’s now 26 conceded from 16 fixtures.
On a weekend where the prospect of moving into the European places was once again squandered, it’s still only one defeat since the turn of October, as United sit two points outside of the Champions League places.
How do you feel after a mind-boggling evening under Old Trafford lights? Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
Photo by operations@newsimages.co.uk via depositphotos.com.
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