Manchester United entertained Bournemouth at Old Trafford earlier this afternoon hoping to pick up maximum points so that they can keep pace with Chelsea and Leicester City in the Premier League’s top four race. The Red Devils made a sloppy start to the game and conceded an early goal to Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas.
However, it took the home side just 14 minutes to come up with a response via Mason Greenwood’s goal. Marcus Rashford gave Man United the lead in the 35th minute when he successfully converted a penalty before Anthony Martial put daylight between the two teams courtesy of an amazing strike from outside the box just before half-time.
The Cherries crawled their way back into the game when Joshua King found the back of the net from the penalty spot just four minutes into the second half. However, any hopes of a Bournemouth comeback were dashed by Greenwood who scored another eye-catching goal in the 54th minute. Bruno Fernandes put the icing on the cake after he joined in on the goal-scoring act just five minutes later. The contest ended with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men securing a dominant 5-2 victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Let’s take a look at how each Man United player fared during the match against the Cherries.
GK: David De Gea – 4.5/10
The Spanish keeper was at fault for conceding the opener as he failed to guard his near post. He was also guilty of giving away the penalty, which will only raise question marks over his long-term future at Old Trafford.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5.5/10
The ex-Crystal Palace ace could have defended well in the lead-up to Stanislas’ goal in the first half. However, he kept a good shape and was unfortunate not to come away with an assist from this game.
CB: Victor Lindelof – 5/10
The Swedish centre-back had a tough first half before being replaced at half-time by Eric Bailly.
CB: Harry Maguire – 4/10
The English defender failed to deal with Stanislas’ threat and got punished in the 15th minute. He looked uncomfortable throughout the 90 minutes in what was another disappointing performance from him today.
LB: Luke Shaw – 7.5/10
He defended resolutely inside his half and did well to provide a decent outlet for his team in the opposition half.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6/10
The French playmaker showed a few glimpses of his brilliance and went close to scoring from a dead-ball situation. However, he ended the match with nothing to show for his efforts in the final third.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 6/10
The Serbian midfield ace did well to set-up Mason Greenwood’s goal in the second half. However, he was guilty of being a bit sloppy on the ball.
RM: Mason Greenwood – 9/10
The talented youngster has been in a rich vein of form of late, and he showed that today. Greenwood scored two great goals and deserved the man of the match award for his excellent performance during the contest.
CAM: Bruno Fernandes – 8.5/10
The Portuguese international was a constant menace for the opposition defenders as he caused all sorts of problems for them in the attacking third. He ended the day with two assists and one goal to his name, which will enhance his reputation further across England.
LM: Marcus Rashford – 7/10
He kept his composure to convert the spot-kick in the first half. However, Rashford’s impact faded as the game wore on, which explains why Solskjaer decided to sub him out in the 80th minute.
ST: Anthony Martial – 8/10
The French marksman was not shy of running the channels and making some unselfish runs off the ball. He stepped up just before the half-time break and curled the ball in with a fantastic effort.
Substitutes:
CB: Eric Bailly – 4/10
He committed a couple of horrendous errors after coming on at half-time.
CM: Fred – 7/10
The Brazilian kept the ball moving and was full of energy and running in midfield.
RM: Daniel James – 5/10
He lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
CAM: Juan Mata – 5/10
The Spaniard struggled to get into the game.
ST: Odion Ighalo – 6/10
The Nigerian striker should have gotten his name on the scoresheet.
