Manchester United beat Bournemouth 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League Casemiro opened the scoring in the 23rd minute of the match after Christian Eriksen assisted for him. United then doubled the lead in the 49th minute through Luke Shaw, assisted by Alejandro Garnacho. The final goal of the match came in the 86th minute with Marcus Rashford bagging his 12th goal of the season so far with Bruno Fernandes getting his fourth assist.
United started the match on the front foot against Bournemouth with Luke Shaw earning a free-kick in the opening minute of the match. However, that came to nothing for the home side. The first proper attempt on goal came in the 11th minute through Anthony Martial. The Frenchman had the ball crossed into him from Shaw and headed the ball towards goal from the centre of the box, missing the target to the left. It was an unfortunate chance for the Frenchman.
United had another positive attack in the 22nd minute with Marcus Rashford seeing himself fouled on the left flank with a free-kick being awarded. Christian Eriksen took the set-piece, placing the ball into the box with Casemiro receiving it and finding the back of the net for the first goal of the match. It was the second goal this season for the Brazilian in the Premier League. Philip Billing came close for Bournemouth four minutes later but his shot on goal was blocked.
A minute later, Dominic Solanke had a chance on goal to restore the parity in the match but his header missed the target, which was a poor chance for the visitors. Casemiro had a second chance on goal in the 34th minute after Aaron Wan-Bissaka played the ball into him but his shot was too far to the right of the target. Two minutes later Bruno Fernandes saw his shot blocked after Donny van de Beek played the ball into him, outside of the box, which is where he shot from.
Billing was booked in the 36th minute after a foul on Casemiro, which resulted in another free-kick for United. Eriksen ended up seeing his shot on goal blocked a minute later. Towards the end of the half, van de Beek was fouled and seemed to be in some pain. After some treatment on the pitch it was adjudged that he needed to come off and he headed straight down the tunnel, which was a shame for the Dutchman. Alejandro Garnacho replaced van de Beek because of the injury.
It was a positive half for United, getting the early goal and taking advantage of the defeats for both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the last few days which has seen United rise into the top four, having a two-point cushion over Spurs and a four-point cushion over Liverpool. United would be five clear of Spurs and seven clear of Liverpool with a win in this match this evening. At the end of the half, it ended 1-0 to United with Casemiro’s goal breaking the deadlock.
There were no substitutions for either side at the start of the second half. Adam Smith became the second Bournemouth player to be booked in the match after being shown the yellow card in the 46th minute. Marcus Rashford had a shot on goal, which was blocked in the 47th minute which showed that United were determined to build on their first goal of the match. United did find their second goal in the 49th minute with Luke Shaw scoring his first goal of the season.
Alejandro Garnacho, playing on the right-wing, did all the work, cutting the ball into Shaw inside the box before the left-back fired his shot into the back of the net. It was a good goal for Shaw to have scored and gave United a cushion in this match with Bournemouth needing to take a lot from the second half to get something form this match. United had everything on their side to take all three points from this match and scoring more goals would aid them even more.
Martial had another chance on goal in the 55th minute but missed with a header from close range. There was a flurry of chances from Bournemouth in the 57th and 58th minutes of the match with Billing, Solanke and Jaidon Anthony all having shots on goal with David De Gea making a save for each one. The Spanish goalkeeper made his 510th appearance for the club in this match, matching Joe Spence’s record from 1919 to 1933.
Bournemouth made this first substitution in the 63rd minute of the match with Jack Stacey replacing Adam Smith. Bournemouth them won a corner but they got nothing from it. There was a lull in the match before Ten Hag made a triple substitution with Diogo Dalot, Fred and Anthony Elanga replacing Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Christian Eriksen and Anthony Martial in the 68th and 69th minutes of the match. United had fresh legs in some good positions to guide them to victory.
Rashford missed a shot on goal in the 71st minute of the match with Garnacho seeing his shot blocked three minutes later. Jack Stacey became the third Bournemouth player to be booked in the match, given a yellow card in the 75th minute. Bournemouth made a double substitution in the 76th minute with Siriki Dembélé and Kieffer Moore replacing Ryan Christie and Philip Billing. Fernandes then had a shot on goal in the 77th minute but missed the target.
Alejandro Garnacho then hit the woodwork in the 78th minute, which was unfortunate for him. Diogo Dalot forced a save from the goalkeeper in the 81st minute with Garnacho forcing another a minute later. Dalot had another blocked in the 83rd minute before Jaidon Anthony missed the target completely at the other end of the pitch. Joe Rothwell then replaced Jefferson Lerma in the 84ht minute of the match, Bournemouth’s fourth substitution of the match.
Fernandes forced another save from the goalkeeper in the 85th minute with United looking for a third goal of the match. Marcus Rashford eventually scored that third goal in the 86th minute, his 12th goal of the season, giving United a good chance to stay in the top four of the Premier League for the foreseeable future with the Emirates FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in play before United next play in the Premier League – which will be against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
Two minutes after the goal, Ten Hag made his fifth and final substitution of the match with Lisandro Martinez replacing Victor Lindelof with the FIFA World Cup winner making his return for United at a good time with two cup games ahead of the second Manchester derby, then a trip to Arsenal in the Premier League before the end of the month. United had done everything to win this match, getting all three points from it. A positive sixth win in a row.
United will go head to head with Everton in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup at Old Trafford on Friday evening before facing Charlton Athletic at the Theatre of Dreams on Tuesday evening in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup. Then to end the month, United face Manchester City at Old Trafford, then Arsenal at the Emirates, which could open them up to another defeat this season with United winning at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Player Ratings
David De Gea: Made his 510th appearance for United, putting him in joint-tenth place with Joe Spence. Made some good saves to deny Bournemouth during the match, specifically three quick chances after United had taken a 2-0 lead in the match. He has been a positive player for United in the last few matches and an important player with the saves he has made. De Gea earned his 177 clean sheet for United – three behind Peter Schmeichel. ★★★★★★★★
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: The right-back put in another good display of his ability, which could either give him favour with Ten Hag or give United a strong chance to recouping some of the money they paid for him a few years ago. He has been positive in the last few matches covering for Dalot whilst he was injured. He seemed to have the crown on his side, especially with his sliding tackles during the match. We now wait to see what happens with him. Replaced by Dalot. ★★★★★★★
Victor Lindelof: Restored to the centre of defence after his illness, which game Raphael Varane a rest ahead of the Everton and Charlton matches in the next week. Had little to do in the first have and was hardly tested throughout the match. He left the aerial duels to Maguire and seemed to do what was required to deal with this dire Bournemouth side. It is good to have him back as United’s defence has been bolstered again. Replaced by Martinez. ★★★★★★
Harry Maguire: Has played a bit-part role of late coming back from the World Cup with an illness and used sparingly when was fit to play. He was not all that convincing in the centre of the defence for United this evening, which does not say much as Bournemouth were poor to say the least. With Martinez and Varane the likely centre-back partnership, Maguire has seemingly fallen from grace in this United set up. What happens next? ★★★★★★
Luke Shaw: Scored his first goal of the season, his first at Old Trafford since 2018 giving United a 2-0 lead over Bournemouth. Garnacho played the ball into him from outside of the box with the England left-back beating the keeper to give United a two-goal cushion. He has been a positive player recently, playing the last two matches as a left-sided centre-back (perhaps for the Barcelona match) now being restored as the left-back. ★★★★★★★
Casemiro: Opened the scoring against Bournemouth in the 23rd minute of the match from an Eriksen set-piece which was thundered into the back of the net. This Brazilian has had a massive impact at United this season showing that he has helped to solve a problem position at United. What a signing he was in the summer. He should have got an assist from the match too with his lay on for Martial – but it never came through. ★★★★★★★★
Christian Eriksen: The Denmark international created a goal from a set-piece for the second match in a row. His technical ability has been great for United – even better that he did not cost a penny in the summer. He is an undroppable player this season but will need to be rested to keep him fresh throughout the remainder of the season. He was replaced by Fred in the 68th minute, giving him a bit of a breather whist of Friday’s match. ★★★★★★★
Bruno Fernandes: Played on the flank again, which is not his favoured position. He was peripheral though. When he was moved into his favoured central position after van de Beek went off injured, he provided the ball for Shaw’s goal, which Garnacho assisted, seeingUnited go 2-0 up. He also provided the assist for Rashford’s 86th minute goal which saw United go 3-0 up. It was Fernandes’ fourth assist of the season. ★★★★★★★
Donny van de Beek: Started in the number ten position in a 4-2-3-1 formation and did not start all that well. There is something not right here as he does not seem to fit into the team. However, after a quarter of the match had been played, he started to fit in a bit more but still had a lot of work to do to find a starting place regularly. Late in the first half, he was fouled, seemed to be hurt and required treatment. He was replaced by Garnacho. ★★★★★★
Marcus Rashford: The England forward started on the left flank and ended up on the right flank against Bournemouth. He made a small impact in the match at times but did not look set to prevail at times. He made some good runs and eventually got his 12th goal of the season after Fernandes found him in the 86th minute. It will keep his confidence high and I am sure he will be determined to find more goals this season. ★★★★★★
Anthony Martial: I don’t know how long he is going to last at United in this form. He has five goals and two assists to his name this season but recently, he does not look interested or inspired. He missed a good chance on goal in this match, which a more prolific striker would have buried into the back of the net. United need a new striker, preferably this month. Martial needs to start coming to terms with the fact he’s not good enough. ★★★★★
Substitutes
Alejandro Garnacho: Replaced van de Beek 45+2′. The Spanish-born Argentinian won a free-kick at the start of the second half and found the assist for Shaw’s goal which saw United double their lead to 2-0. He hit the woodwork, which was unfortunate and really took his chance against Bournemouth. With Antony seemingly injured, Perhaps he will start against Everton on Friday evening? Garnacho is a player that is going somewhere. ★★★★★★★
Diogo Dalot: Replaced Wan-Bissaka 69′. It was good to see him back after the World Cup and a thigh injury. He drew a save from the Bournemouth goalkeeper and seemed to continue where he left off for United prior to the World Cup. It could well be that Wan-Bissaka is back on the bench for the foreseeable future, other than rotating, unless United have other plans for him – if the interest away from Old Trafford is there? ★★★★★★★
Fred: Replaced Eriksen 68′. Made a bright impact as he gave Eriksen some time off the pitch to recharge his batteries ahead of the Everton match on Friday. It was good to see him playing alongside his Brazil teammate, Casemiro, who opened the scoring in the first half of the match. Fred did not have the same impact as he did against Nottingham Forest, scoring in the last minutes of the match but United did score with him on the pitch. ★★★★★★
Anthony Elanga: Replaced Martial 69′. I don’t really rate Elanga for anything other than his pace at United. I am not sure he has all the ingredients to make it at the club. But that is Ten Hag’s decision, not mine. Everton’s interest could be good for him this month, providing that United have the will to let him leave. He spurned s hot on goal against Bournemouth, which was a shame but the story of his time at United. I am sure he wants more. ★★★★★
Lisandro Martinez: Replaced Lindelof 88′. Came on very late in the match – too late to make an impact. He was paraded on the Old Trafford pitch with his World Cup winner’s medal prior to the match and got a cult hero welcome by the Old Trafford faithful. He did what was expected from him on the pitch. Perhaps he will have more minutes against Everton on the FA Cup on Friday evening at the Theatre of Dreams? ★★★★★★
Match Information
Goals: Casemiro 23′, Luke Shaw 49′, Marcus Rashford 86′
Assists: Christian Eriksen 23′, Alejandro Garnacho 49′, Bruno Fernandes 86′
Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka (Dalot 69′), Lindelof (Martinez 88′), Maguire, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen (Fred 68′); Fernandes, van de Beek (Garnacho 45+2′), Rashford; Martial (Elanga 69′)
Substitutes Not Used: Heaton; Malacia, Varane; McTominay
Bookings: Philip Billing 36′, Adam Smith 46′, Jack Stacey 75′
Written by John Walker
