It was an entertaining one at Vitality Stadium as Manchester United gave up the lead two different times and Bournemouth kept finding ways back.
The draw helped no side here. While the Cherries stayed put in 10th and missed out on going to 8th (with other three teams that could leapfrog them this weekend, the Red Devils gave Aston Villa and Liverpool margin to get closer.
It was often a more fought match than actually played in terms of battles and duels, but still a lively affair. All four goals came within a 20-minute span.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the spot, but Ryan Christie equalised six minutes later. Then an unlucky James Hill own goal gave the visitors their lead back, only for Junior Kroupi to score a penalty of his own.
How did Bournemouth 2-2 Manchester United unfold?
Manchester United ‘match-up hunting’
The game suited Man United’s style all 90 minutes long. Andoni Iraola’s fun obsession with high press and individual marking made individual quality much more of a factor than it can be under other circumstances.
For a team with the likes of Amad Diallo, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, it’s football heaven. The Red Devils had tons of fast breaks throughout the game, which favoured their skillful players. Early on, there seemed to be an emphasis on getting Cunha the ball for him to turn around Alex Jimenez or just straight up take him on.
SBK betting offer: Bet £10, get £40 in free bets
Eligible readers* interested in this SBK betting offer can follow THIS LINK or click the image below.
New UK customers only. Min £10 first deposit using Debit Card or Bank Transfer. Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 2.0 and get a £10 Football Bet Builder token upon settlement. A £10 Multiple token, a £5 Horse Racing Multiple token and a £5 Football Bet Builder token will be credited after 24 hours. A further £10 Free Bet token will be credited 48 hours after the qualifying bet has been settled. Full T&Cs apply, 18+. GambleAware.org.
If it wasn’t then, Michael Carrick made sure that it became an emphasis as the game went on. It’s the basketball equivalent of ‘match-up hunting’, when a player feels he has the edge over a certain opponent and tries to abuse the one-on-one plays.
The Cunha-Jimenez battle eventually led to a beautiful sequence in which the Brazilian got past him near the touchline. The Spaniard got lost and the only option left was to take him down. Bruno Fernandes made no mistake and sent Djordje Petrovic the wrong way.
Speaking of Cunha and Bruno, they were incredibly in sync at Vitality Stadium. Carrick seemed to encourage them exchanging passes together all game long. Such quality in close proximity is always going to lead to danger.
Both combined for 27 passes overall (17 from Bruno to Cunha, 10 the other way around). Those were the two most common link-ups between United players and they led the team in touches.
It’s not often you see an attacking midfielder lead in this stat, especially with a left-winger and a goalkeeper right after. But it made for some great chances – especially in the first half. Luckily for the Cherries, Petrovic played very well and denied most of them.
Bournemouth’s knack for transition football
Andoni Iraola’s main creative is not an attacking midfielder or a tricky winger. It’s their collective ability of suffocating opponents, counter-pressing and forcing turnovers high up the pitch.
Aware of that, Michael Carrick changed his game plan halfway through the first half. Man United started off well, keeping possession and dictating the terms. Of course, they favoured quick, short-passing sequences in order to get forward, rather than setting his team up to dominate territorially and patiently try to break the opposition down.
The Red Devils were considerably better than Bournemouth for the first 20-25 minutes. But as they saw the guests increasingly frustrate their build-ups with their man-oriented press and stealing the ball in the attacking half, Carrick switched things up. He let the Cherries have the ball. Man United had 61% possession until the 25th minute, but went to the break with 50%.
And yet, Bournemouth managed to manufacture artificial transitions and fast breaks despite having more of the ball. They actually set their season record for most direct attacks in a Premier League game tonight (7). It’s an underrated ‘super-power’ of this brave and entertaining team.
Set-piece logic
The ball was often in contest during this match. With both teams managing to take the build-up phase out of the other, it was a constant back and forth between them.
This gave set pieces more weight as a way to unlock the game. And there were nine corners in the first half alone, the eight most of any Premier League match before half-time this campaign.
Tote sign-up offer: Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
Not signed up to Tote yet? Here's how eligible readers* can take advantage of their welcome offer:
- Open an account at Tote using this link.
- Use code B10G40 on registration.
- Deposit and place a £10 bet on sports or racing at 1/1 or greater.
- When it settles, unlock £30 in free bets
#AD 18+ New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Bet min of £/€10 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £/€10 Win + £/€10 Place) within 7 days of registration. Receive £/€20 Tote Credit and £/€10 Free Sports Bet. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to the bet slip. 7-day expiry. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.
Bournemouth had a few of their own, but it was always going to favour Manchester United. It was an awkward and unlucky James Hill own goal that gave the Red Devils their second lead of the night.
But it shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, they are the second team with the most set-piece goals (excluding penalties) this season. While Bournemouth have conceded the most goals in these situations.
In the end, it was a fun game and probably a deserved draw. Man United did create enough to score early, but Petrovic made sure both teams went goalless to the break.
And though Carrick’s decision to change the strategy made sense, Bournemouth still found a way to get into their transition game.