Manchester United have all but secured a spot in the top four of the Premier League thanks to their 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
Casemiro scored the only goal of the game inside the opening 10 minutes with a bicycle kick from close range and while it was an underwhelming game, Man Utd just about managed to hold on.
Results elsewhere mean that Man Utd now need just one point from their final two matches to qualify for the top four, sitting three points clear of fourth-placed Liverpool. Bournemouth, of course, were already safe.
Here’s how the players rated at the Vitality Stadium:
Bournemouth
Neto – 7 – Beaten by Casemiro’s acrobatic effort but didn’t really have much to do otherwise until a good save on Weghorst after an hour. Produced another good save to deny Fernandes and keep the score at 1-0.
Adam Smith – 7 – Got up the left flank really well, asking questions of Shaw. Put a testing ball into the box for Solanke’s best first-half chance, and shut Sancho down.
Illia Zabarnyi – 7 – Looked solid defensively, at home in the Bournemouth defence, helping to keep the Man Utd front three very quiet.
Marcos Senesi – 7 – Really unlucky having got a touch onto Eriksen’s ball into the box, only to see Casemiro readjust with an acrobatic finish. Otherwise strong defensively and had a number of excellent passes over the top of the Man Utd midfield.
Lloyd Kelly – 7 – Won his matchup against Antony really well, shutting the Brazilian down.
Lewis Cook – 5 – It feels as though the game passed him by in the Bournemouth midfield and his main contribution was a yellow card for a tackle on Eriksen that was checked by VAR.
Jefferson Lerma – 5 – Sat in front of the Bournemouth defence but needed to step up alongside Cook to give the Cherries a foothold in the game. If they had been better, Bournemouth might have been more dangerous.
David Brooks – 7 – Making his first start for Bournemouth since September 2021, Brooks looked really good, linking thinks up well in the attack. Had a good chance just after half-time saved by De Gea. Taken off in the 55th minute as, obviously, Gary O’Neil is managing his fitness but everyone can be happy with Brooks’ performance.
Ryan Christie – 6 – Ghosted into the box a few times though he was the most quiet of Bournemouth’s attacking players. A nuisance but fresh legs were needed.
Jaidon Anthony – 7 – Combined well down the left with Kelly up against Wan-Bissaka to cause some problems, though it couldn’t bring a Bournemouth goal.
Dominic Solanke – 6 – Tested De Gea a couple of times including once in the first half having fashioned a chance that could have gone following a poor first touch. Did the holding up well but wasn’t the goal threat Bournemouth needed.
Substitutes:
Kieffer Moore (for Brooks 55) – 5 – Didn’t have too many chances after coming on but really should have equalised when played through in the final 10 minutes, seeing his effort saved.
Matias Vina (for Smith 66) – 6 – Looked as solid defensively as Smith was in the first half.
Dango Outtara (for Christie 66) – 6 – Asked a couple of questions of the Man Utd defence.
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Man Utd
David de Gea – 7 – Wrapped up the Golden Glove outright with another clean sheet but apart from a save on Brooks just after half-time, the Spaniard didn’t have too much to do. That was until the final 10 minutes when Moore was put through on goal but De Gea preserved his clean sheet with a great stop.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 7 – Under the cosh against Kelly and Anthony, but the Englishman looked strong in his battle, especially when one-on-one.
Raphael Varane – 7 – Looked relatively comfortable at the back for Man Utd. They look so much more secure with him in the team.
Victor Lindelof – 8 – Probably Lindelof’s best Man Utd appearance for quite some time, dealing with everything thrown at him and into the box.
Luke Shaw – 7 – Had a good battle against Smith, especially with very little help from his winger. Although Smith had a few moments, Shaw also had his fair share of battles won.
Casemiro – 7 – Scored the winner early on with a wonderful, reactive finish. Reshuffled his body well after the defensive touch on the ball over the top to bicycle kick from close range. Did the rest of his job well.
Casemiro's last two Premier League goals for Manchester United:
◉ vs. Bournemouth (H)
◉ vs. Bournemouth (A)A superb acrobatic strike gives the Red Devils the lead at the Vitality. ?#BOUMUN
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) May 20, 2023
Christian Eriksen – 7 – He won’t get the assist because of Senesi’s touch but his ball into the box for Casemiro’s goal was fantastic. Helped control the midfield for Man Utd and also stopped a good Solanke break in the second half.
Antony – 5 – Having been on top form in recent weeks, this was a quiet afternoon for the Brazilian to struggled to get anything from his battle against Kelly.
Bruno Fernandes – 5 – Very quiet in midfield for Man Utd, not pulling the strings as he has been in recent weeks. But fortunately it wasn’t as costly as it could have been.
Jadon Sancho – 5 – Performed better than he had in recent weeks but it was still an afternoon of struggles for Sancho. This season has been a complete write off.
Anthony Martial – 5 – He linked up pretty well with his teammates but Martial offered no threat to the Bournemouth goal, failing to hit the target with any of his three shots.
Substitutes:
Wout Weghorst (for Martial 57) – 6 – Managed something in five minutes that Martial didn’t in 57, having a shot on target, though it was well matched by Neto.
Alejandro Garnacho (for Sancho 72) – 7 – Looked dangerous after coming on, night and day against Sancho and he gave Bournemouth’s defence a test they hadn’t had for much of the afternoon.
Scott McTominay (for Eriksen 86) – N/A – A late sub.
Fred (for Anthony 86) – N/A – A late sub.
Player name (for PLAYER GOING OFF NAME AND MINUTE) – X – Rating text