From near-total control to collapse to late Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha goals that seemed to put Manchester United on the right end of a 4-3 thriller. But, then, yet more horrific defending allowed Eli Kroupi, a substitute, to score Bournemouth’s third equaliser and, at the final whistle, the points were shared.
Fernandes’s strike was a pinpoint curled free-kick on 77 minutes, Cunha’s finish came 120 seconds later when Benjamin Sesko’s cross from the left hit Adrien Truffert and diverted into his path.
Before the two goals, United were heading for Aston Villa in a foul mood and staring at a miserable Christmas Day if another defeat followed. Instead, despite Kroupi’s intervention, a single defeat in 10 games is a run of form that tells of United’s upward trajectory under Ruben Amorim, though their defending is amateurish.
Twelve minutes in and United came alive. Amad Diallo began and finished the move. From the right he pinged the ball to Casemiro who relayed it to Diogo Dalot along the left.
One stepover later and he was firing a diagonal into Bournemouth’s area. Cunha rose and missed the header and the ball hit Djordje Petrovic, leaving the goalkeeper helpless to prevent the Ivorian nodding in from under the bar. The strike was the culmination of a bright United phase. A smart Cunha-to-Diallo pass from halfway ended with a Fernandes effort. Then, two United corners sandwiched Tyler Adams being forced off – for Alex Scott – five minutes in. Luke Shaw’s dart down the left and cross had Mason Mount blazing at goal, Petrovic saving before the livewire Cunha set up Casemiro for a shot that was blocked.
