Manchester United 3 Bournemouth 0
Manchester United keep rolling along impressively under Erik ten Hag. This fourth consecutive Premier League win – and third clean sheet in a row – takes them up to 35 points and with Manchester City next at Old Trafford in the competition on Saturday week the manager and his team will hope to be in the same convincing form then.
As Bournemouth did not roll over there should be no downgrading of how United, in swathes brilliant, were ruthless in putting their guests away via Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford strikes. Especially as the manager sent out a reshuffled unit as he seeks to build squad depth and consistency.
Ten Hag’s back five of David De Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf and Luke Shaw had a retro feel about it – as if the current manager had invited his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, to guest select tonight’s defence.
Maguire, starting a first league match since late October, was a picture of ease when swivelling to find space and find Shaw. United’s recent edge was illustrated by a crunching challenge from Donny van de Beek, who was given a start due to Antony’s injury.
A mark of an elite team is the ability to switch personnel and yet its structure and style remain. A solitary victory in nine previous league outings made Bournemouth ideal guinea pigs to test an XI featuring the four new selections plus what was an altered rearguard alignment – Shaw moving to left-back from centre back, where he operated against Wolves.
When Bruno Fernandes switched the ball to Shaw and he dropped it on to Anthony Martial’s head, the latter misdirected but this was a promising sign. As was how Casemiro raced back to slide-tackle Philip Billing: a free-kick was awarded – a little unkindly by Michael Salisbury – and justice was done when Jaidon Anthony blasted it wide. Van de Beek pressed and claimed possession from Jefferson Lerma and squeezed the ball to Fernandes but he failed to prosper.
United were suffocating Bournemouth and, after Marcus Rashford powered along the left and was tugged back, they scored from the resulting free-kick. Christian Eriksen, one half of Ten Hag’s classy midfield pair, dipped the delivery on to the boot of the other: Casemiro was unmarked and volleyed in.
Advantage United but the way they slumbered at a short corner, allowing Dominic Solanke a free header which he spurned, was an alarm call. An errant five-yard Maguire pass aimed at Lindelöf that went straight out for a corner was also unwanted; both by a captain wishing to pass this audition to be a regular again and his side. United escaped and soon had Rashford charging down the right and Billing yanking over Casemiro for a foul. Eriksen fired the free-kick at goal but the visitors’ wall rescued them.
The half ended sourly for Van de Beek who was scythed into by Marcos Senesi and then replaced by Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentinian began the second period by burning past Adam Smith and causing the right-back to fell him. The lightning-fast youngster was to have a cameo role in a breathtaking United second goal which starred a buccaneering Shaw. The full-back began and ended the move, zipping at Bournemouth, passing to Fernandes who fed Garnacho. The 18-year-old crossed and there was Shaw, who finished with his less favoured right foot.
More enticing fluidity arrived when Martial dropped deep and skimmed the ball out wide, Casemiro eventually received the ball and his chip was headed marginally wide by the French striker. United were purring along, as they had in last week’s 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest, but Bournemouth were not finished. Twice De Gea had to save his side – with a hand to a Billing header and, later in the same phase, by repelling an Anthony effort.
On 68 minutes Martial was replaced by Anthony Elanga, the former heading straight for the tunnel and the hope will be this is not another setback for Ten Hag’s first-choice striker.
Garnacho provided a moment of wonder when dipping a shoulder and clipping Mark Travers’ left post. Then Rashford slotted in from a Fernandes pass for the coup de grace from United’s perspective. – Guardian
