United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United’s pitiful end to the season continued as the Reds were outclassed by Bournemouth. United picked up an undeserved point after Bruno Fernandes scored a brace. We take a look at the action below and analyze each player’s performance.

First Half

It was an unimpressive and slow start to the match. The first fifteen minutes held little action, as United had the better possession, but Bournemouth held the advantage in the attack.

In the 16th minute, Alejandro Garnacho lost the ball and Bournemouth broke. Dominic Solanke beat Willy Kambwala to the ball and dropped the young United defender. As Solanke cut across the top of the box, he struck the ball into Onana’s corner and put the home side up 1-0.

Bournemouth created another chance three minutes later as Diogo Dalot was caught up the pitch, and Milos Kerkez forced a save from Onana. A minute later, the home side continued their attacking dominance as Luis Sinisterra flashed his shot just wide of the United goal.

In the 29th minute, Bournemouth were nearly in again as Ryan Christie played his finish straight into Onana’s arms. Casemiro tried a lazy flick in midfield and the Reds had few behind the ball.

Just one minute later Bruno Fernandes leveled the match with a thunderous strike. Garnacho played the ball across the goal, took a touch off the Bournemouth defender, and Bruno hit the volley with his left to make it 1-1. The VAR check for a possible foul was a quick one, as Willy Kambwala’s tackle was perfectly timed.

Bournemouth reclaimed their lead in the 35th minute as Justin Kluivert found a gap in the United back four and scored easily. A miscommunication between Dalot and Garnacho meant that no one was near the Dutch attacker, and the defensive woes for the Reds continued.

The Cherries had a prime opportunity to put the Reds to bed in the first half, but Kerkez’s header hit the crossbar. The Bournemouth left back walked by Dalot to have a free opportunity to head the ball. He was left unmarked on the follow-up as well, but the second header flew over the bar.

Andre Onana made an incredible save to keep Justin Kluivert from adding a second goal to his tally. Kluivert latched onto a ball that was played over the top, but Onana stopped the ball with his left hand from point-blank range.

Manchester United nearly leveled against the run of play through a stunning hit from Fernandes. The United captain’s shot flicked off the top of Neto’s goal and, unfortunately, out for a goal kick.

Manchester United were embarrassing in the first half. Simply awful. Bournemouth could have been up four or five goals, and United were lucky to still be in the match at the whistle. The midfield and back line were wide open, and Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho acted as if Rasmus Hojlund was not there.

Second Half

Manchester United continued as second-best to start the second half. Half-chances fell to Justin Kluivert and Dominic Solanke and those in white looked completely dejected.

Adam Smith gave United a gift of a penalty in the 63rd minute, as he moved his arm toward the ball after Kobbie Mainoo’s shot was deflected. Bruno Fernandes calmly gave the Reds parity as he sent Neto the wrong way.

Erik Ten Hag introduced Mason Mount for Kobbie Mainoo in the 78th minute. Why he chose Mainoo over Casemiro, I do not know.

After a period of pressure, Bournemouth thought they had been given a late penalty in the 95th minute, but Kambwala’s foul was deemed to be outside the box after a lengthy VAR check. The ensuing free kick was blocked by the wall, and the corner was collected by Onana.

The match ended 2-2 much to the dismay of both sets of fans. United dropped points again, and Bournemouth should have taken three off the Reds.

Man of the Match

Bruno Fernandes put in a captain’s performance as he kept United in the match with his two goals. His first half goal was taken well, and his penalty was calmly placed. Defensively, he was one of few attacking players to consistently track back to help disrupt Bournemouth attacks.

Player Ratings

Starting XI
Andre Onana: 7 – Possibly could have done better on Solanke’s goal but had some massive saves.
Diogo Dalot: 4 – Caught out of position multiple times and failed to get any dangerous crosses in.
Harry Maguire: 5 – Not at his best. Did not command the back well.
Willy Kambwala: 5 – Was bullied by Solanke for the home side’s first goal but was decent after the early minutes.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 6 – Not at fault for either goal. Defended well.
Kobbie Mainoo (Off in the 78th Minute): 6 – Forced to basically play by himself at times in the middle. Unfortunate to be the one to come off.
Casemiro: 4 – Failed to help Mainoo in the midfield defensively.
Bruno Fernandes: 8 – Scored both United goals and put effort in defensively. He will always come under fire for losing the ball, but it is a part of his ambitious style of play.
Rasmus Hojlund: 5 – Never got into the game but worked hard for the team.
Marcus Rashford: 4 – Poor again and failed to provide anything for Hojlund.
Alejandro Garnacho (Off at Half): 4 – Was poor in attack and lost the ball that led to Bournemouth’s first goal.

Substitutions:
Amad Diallo (On at Half): 6 – Looked decent going forward and was better than Garnacho today.
Mason Mount (On in the 78th Minute): 5 – Wasn’t on the ball much after coming on.

Looking Ahead

Coventry City may have lost 0-3 today, but they will still gain confidence from this Manchester United performance. United head to Wembley next weekend to face the Championship side. The FA Cup is the last chance the Reds have to salvage something from this disappointing season. Do we have enough to collect the trophy?