Four things we learned as Man United frustrated by Bournemouth | OneFootball

Manchester United blew two leads against Bournemouth to draw 2-2 on the south coast.

The Cherries are fast becoming a bogey team for the Red Devils, who took the lead first through a Bruno Fernandes penalty then again through a James Hill own goal. This was cancelled out by a late penalty to frustrate Michael Carrick‘s side, who missed the opportunity to really stretch the gap between them and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Here are four things we learned from the match:

Self-sabotage

United are incapable of giving themselves an easy go of it against Bournemouth – see the 4-4 at Old Trafford earlier this season – and once again managed to blow a lead against Andoni Iraola’s side.

It wasn’t just that Harry Maguire’s clumsy challenge and subsequent red card undid all the good work put in between the posts by Senne Lammens, it was the inability to capitalise on a strong start to the game.

Having taken the lead from the spot United should have gone on to win three relatively straightforward points, but missed opportunities and a general lack of focus gave the hosts a way back which they duly seized. United’s self-sabotage began before the first goal was scored, but they can at least be pleased with a point against strong opposition.

Improved intensity

United may have exploded into life under their interim boss in his first few games but their lapse into an all-too-familiar sluggishness finally came to a head in defeat at Newcastle at the start of the month. At the opposite end of the country tonight Carrick’s men burst out of the blocks, playing with purpose and direction to cause Bournemouth serious problems.

Matheus Cunha, Amad and Fernandes all forced fine saves out of Djordje Petrovic before the interval – the only thing missing from an impressive first half was a goal.

The intensity slackened as the hosts fought back into the game, but United managed it well and looked much more assured during a period they have recently struggled to dominate. Not so the second half, which became ragged and risked descending into a serious problem for the Red Devils.

Imbalanced attack

It was a mixed evening for United’s frontline, which was slick down the left but stale through the middle. Cunha was bang up for it and was a near-constant threat playing ahead of Luke Shaw, and his link-up with Fernandes was deeply satisfying – it’s a no surprise he was the livewire hauled down to win the penalty.

It was another story up top, where Bryan Mbeumo was once again preferred to Benjamin Sesko. The Cameroonian has gone from talisman to liability over the last couple of months and in reality, shouldn’t have started with the Slovenian having maintained his fine form from the bench last week.

Instead, Mbeumo channelled United’s hapless on-loan striker Rasmus Hojlund with misplaced passes and clumsy touches galore, and a good chance squandered early in the second half.

Lammens the real deal

Much has been made of the impact made by Lammens since his late arrival from the Belgian league last summer, and he once again showed that he is worth the hype.

The young goalkeeper was not at fault for either goal and was a dominant presence in the box, gathering crosses and holding on to eminently spillable shots. On a night of frustratingly small margins these things really mattered, and the quiet confidence radiating from the United goal is making a tangible difference to the general mood of the backline.

It seems a strange point to make given the eventual outcome, but it was another demonstration that in Lammens United finally have a reliable goalkeeper who can do the basics well – it’s not his fault his teammates couldn’t do the same.

Featured image Warren Little via Getty Images

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