Manchester United v Bournemouth Review
Pre Match Analysis– The Red Devils came into the match with Bournemouth with a loss to table toppers Manchester City. With the likes of Rashford, Young and Ibrahimovic on the bench it shows the depth of the Manchester United squad, which is probably the reason why they sit in second place on the Premier League ladder. Time would tell whether the Manchester United would emulate last games effort when they conceded goals courtesy of a leaky defence or if they would make last rounds defensive effort an aberration and merely a road block.
First Half Analysis– Jones made a pivotal intervention in the seventeenth minute. David de Gea made a trademark save shortly after the twentieth minute mark with the shot taken by Bournemouth’s Daniels. Shortly after de Gea made another key save, this time it was Gosling with the shot on goal. Then Manchester United suddenly gained the ascendancy; Mata played a sublime cross that Lukaku headered into the back of the net to break the deadlock in the twenty-fifth minute. Following that Bournemouth had a golden opportunity when the ball fell into the path of Bournemouth captain Francis that he blasted over the bar.
Half Time Analysis– Manchester United came into the half time break with a narrow one-nil lead over Bournemouth. On the balance of play it was a close contest with Bournemouth having their chances to equalize.
Second Half Analysis– Martial missed a simple chance to score a goal. It was harder to miss than to score! Somehow Martial managed to kick the ball over the bar! Begovic, Bournemouth’s goal keeper was no where to be seen. The rest of the half was largely uneventful, until Bournemouth substitute Defoe had a shot at goal well saved by the ever reliable de Gea.
Full Time Analysis– Manchester United struggled to get the three points, despite having just over fifty-six percent of possession. A telling stat was that Bournemouth had seven shots on target, while Manchester United had only two shots on target. There is a lot for Manchester United to work on in order to maintain a top their top two position as well as automatic qualification for the Uefa Champions League.