Manchester, Dec 16: Manchester United drew with Bournemouth 4-4 in one of the best games in the Premier League on Monday.
United coach Ruben Amorim said before the match that “playing against Bournemouth is never fun” and they were prophetic words on a night his side had most of the opportunities but still came away with only a point.
The Cherries had beaten United 3-0 in their last two visits to Old Trafford but there seemed little chance of that happening again as the home side took control from the off and was a goal up after 13 minutes.
Diogo Dalot’s lofted cross fell to Amad Diallo to nod in almost on the goal line.
United dominated a pulsating first half but Antoine Semenyo brought Bournemouth level after 40 minutes. Poor defending saw United lose the ball on the left flank and Semenyo strode forward and sent an angled shot under Senne Lammens.
Casemiro restored United’s lead on the stroke of halftime when he headed home from a Bruno Fernandes corner. Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic flapped at the Brazilian’s effort.
“It was a fun game for everyone at home,” Amorim said. “If you look at the game you can think we lost the two points in the second half. I think we lost the two points in the first half. I think we should have more goals, we should have a different result at halftime.
“It was then similar to Nottingham (Forest, 2-2 in November) where we suffered two goals really fast, but we managed to get back to take the advantage and then we need to close the game out.” After the break, the visitors scored twice in six minutes to take the lead for the first time.
Evanilson finished superbly after only 37 seconds thanks to a great through ball from Marcus Tavernier, and six minutes later Tavernier curled a left-foot shot around the United wall to put Bournemouth 3-2 ahead and silence the home crowd.
United rallied and a superb free kick from Fernandes, so often a savior, sailed into the top corner with 13 minutes left and two minutes later Matheus Cunha got the break of the ball inside the box and finished clinically to put the home side back in front at 4-3.
And yet Bournemouth had its own reserves of resilience to come back a third time in the match.
With six minutes remaining Eli Junior Kroupi finished brilliantly with one-touch control and a curling side-footer past Lammens.
“It is one the fans will definitely enjoy,” Tavernier said, “but for us on the pitch it was a bit frustrating. We started the first half very slow but stayed in the game and then in the second came out and did what we had to do.
“The start of the second half was amazing for us on the pitch. We put ourselves in an amazing position in the game. Unfortunately, we conceded such sloppy goals.” The result lifted Manchester United into sixth place. Bournemouth, winless in seven league games, was 13th.
In the end, the eight-goal thriller left both sides with mixed emotions.
United’s attacking intent and ability to respond under pressure were evident, but defensive lapses once again proved costly, denying Amorim’s men maximum points despite dominating large spells.
For Bournemouth, the draw ended a barren run and underlined their resilience, as they repeatedly clawed their way back in a breathless contest that will be remembered more for its drama than its discipline. (AP)
