The comments of Louis Van Gaal earlier in the week about Manchester United improving this year felt ludicrous, given they failed to qualify into the knockout stages of the Champions League. Those comments looked more of a joke after the defeat to Bournemouth. A match that was predicted to be the least entertaining this weekend turned out to be arguably the most entertaining one.
The game took off to a great start by a brilliant corner kick by Junior Stanislas. It may not have been intentional but certainly was one to remember. However, it was not a one-way traffic in the initial stages, with United also creating chances at the other end. Bournemouth could have easily scored a second when Stanislas missed a one on one situation against De Gea, who certainly has made some key saves this season.
Finally, the goal arrived for United with Fellaini poking home from close range. It all started from a wonderful pass from Carrick to Depay, who had a great first touch to get into the box. That pass from Carrick alone delineates his vision and his importance to the team. United, to be fair, have been unlucky with injuries and Lingard walking off the field in the first half will only add to the worries of LVG. The bigger surprise was the introduction of young Andreas Pereira ahead of Ashley Young, who certainly is finding game time difficult in spite of the injuries to the squad.
The second half belonged to Bournemouth. A nicely worked corner kick allowed former United player Joshua King to put the ball into the net. That goal certainly gave Bournemouth the belief that they could create history and it was certainly to be seen in the way they played for the rest of the match. They certainly looked hungrier and had more desire to win the match than United.
The worrying thing for United and LVG would be the lack of fight in the later stages of the second half. As the match came to a close, it was more Bournemouth rather than United who looked like scoring. Perhaps, it may be the trip to Germany that caused fatigue to the team both physically as well as mentally.
However, it would be wrong to take anything away from Bournemouth. The last eight days have been massive in the history of the club. First, it was the champions on their home ground and now they have outplayed one of the biggest clubs in the world.
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| Full Time score: Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester United |
Finally, the goal arrived for United with Fellaini poking home from close range. It all started from a wonderful pass from Carrick to Depay, who had a great first touch to get into the box. That pass from Carrick alone delineates his vision and his importance to the team. United, to be fair, have been unlucky with injuries and Lingard walking off the field in the first half will only add to the worries of LVG. The bigger surprise was the introduction of young Andreas Pereira ahead of Ashley Young, who certainly is finding game time difficult in spite of the injuries to the squad.
The second half belonged to Bournemouth. A nicely worked corner kick allowed former United player Joshua King to put the ball into the net. That goal certainly gave Bournemouth the belief that they could create history and it was certainly to be seen in the way they played for the rest of the match. They certainly looked hungrier and had more desire to win the match than United.
The worrying thing for United and LVG would be the lack of fight in the later stages of the second half. As the match came to a close, it was more Bournemouth rather than United who looked like scoring. Perhaps, it may be the trip to Germany that caused fatigue to the team both physically as well as mentally.
However, it would be wrong to take anything away from Bournemouth. The last eight days have been massive in the history of the club. First, it was the champions on their home ground and now they have outplayed one of the biggest clubs in the world.
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