Bournemouth Strike Back, Hold Off Manchester United's Should-be Victory

 

Manchester United and Bournemouth served up a breathtaking Premier League spectacle at Old Trafford, playing out a dramatic 4–4 draw that swung wildly from the first whistle to the very last kick of stoppage time. 

United started on the front foot and were rewarded in the 13th minute when Amad Diallo rose from close range to head home the opening goal, capping off a dominant early spell filled with pressure. Bournemouth gradually grew into the contest, testing debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens through Marcus Tavernier, and their persistence paid off in the 40th minute when Antoine Semenyo cut in from the right and fired a low shot into the far corner to level the score.

Just as the visitors looked settled, United struck again deep into first-half stoppage time, Casemiro powering a header into the net from a Bruno Fernandes corner to restore a 2–1 lead at the break.

The second half exploded into life almost immediately. Within a minute of the restart, Bournemouth hit United on the counter, Evanilson finishing calmly after a fast break to make it 2–2. The visitors then completed the turnaround in the 52nd minute when Marcus Tavernier curled a precise free kick into the bottom corner, from a free-kick drawn from Casemiro's foul.

United responded with urgency, throwing bodies forward and making key substitutions. The pressure finally told in the 77th minute when Bruno Fernandes produced a moment of brilliance, whipping a stunning free kick into the top left corner to bring the scores level again. Two minutes later, Matheus Cunha smashed home the fourth goal from close range, seemingly completing a remarkable comeback and putting United 4–3 ahead.

Once again, Bournemouth restored level terms when substitute Junior Kroupi, who replaced Evanilson, struck low from the centre of the box, silencing the home crowd and setting up a frantic finale. In the end, both sides walked away, sharing the spoils. 

The Cherries have shown their strong sides, playing against a top-flight Premier League team this season. They drew their previous game against Chelsea, and followed that up by playing a draw against Manchester United. Meanwhile, they lost 1-0 to Manchester City in November. 

Overview 

From the start, Bournemouth were all in for a showdown at Old Trafford. Undermining the Cherries was not possible as they quickly undid the deficit and cracked United's defense line. The challenge that United faced was not that Evanilson and Justin Kluivert could score goals; their attacking forward players were effective at scoring. Given the chance, United would have lost. 

Interchanging the center forward between Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha did not pay off for United. The connections between both players were effective, but they did not produce the goals needed. Eventually, United's attacking midfield filled the gap before the attackers found the fourth goal through Cunha.