Bournemouth’s Joshua King brings end to Manchester United’s revival

At the end of a week when Ole Gunnar Solskjær talked up the strides Manchester United have of late, a first defeat in four matches brought his side back to reality with a thud.

This was even more galling for Solskjær given it was Joshua King, the Bournemouth striker once a pupil of his in United’s reserves, who inflicted this latest wound. While on the books at Old Trafford as a teenager, King opened his ears to perfect the killer instinct synonymous with Solskjær’s playing days in finishing practice after training.

For United, who remain without back-to-back wins in the league since Solskjær took over permanently in March, perhaps the feel-good factor following victories over Partizan Belgrade, Norwich and Chelsea masked their rotten run in the league. They have picked up three points in the league once since September.

For Bournemouth, this represents another landmark victory to savour.

United started with a supreme confidence on the back of three away wins in seven days. Their three-pronged attack of Anthony Martial, Daniel James and Marcus Rashford, passed fit after picking up a knock at Chelsea in midweek, showed great promised without having anything to show for it.

James repeatedly pierced holes in Bournemouth’s back line, twice exposing Diego Rico but Andreas Pereira and then Fred ended up aquaplaning on a saturated surface after losing their footing at the key moment.

With half-time looming, those smiles on United’s faces turned to frowns as King chested Adam Smith’s dinked cross before juggling the ball away from a statuesque Victor Lindelöf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who allowed the striker to swivel unchallenged and lash the ball home on the volley.

It was an emphatic finish but the defending was tame. Wan-Bissaka had been fortunate earlier on, with United unscathed after King fooled the full-back before teeing up Ryan Fraser, who shot straight at David de Gea.

Solskjær alluded to the change in mood in the camp following the international break, which he said reinvigorated his squad, but after going behind here his side struggled to hurt the hosts.

A crude challenge on Rashford aside, the Bournemouth captain Steve Cook – the first player to make 150 Premier League appearances for the club – brilliantly shepherded the backline, typified by a wonderful interception Rashford late on.

They had their work cut out in the first half, with James sending a rasping shot past Aaron Ramsdale’s left post and Martial fell in the box under pressure from the pounding Jefferson Lerma, a ubiquitous presence in midfield. Martial claimed a penalty and a contretemps ensued, which led to Fred and Lerma being booked, which means the latter, a £25m club-record signing last summer, will be suspended for next Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.

Fraser struck a tame volley straight at De Gea after the interval, while the Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson, who was restored to the starting lineup here, twice went close, with a low driven shot forcing the United goalkeeper into a fine left-handed save.

Solskjær introduced Mason Greenwood late on and the teenager rattled a post eight minutes from time before Ramsdale parried a Scott McTominay strike moments later, but Bournemouth held on through three nerve-jangling minutes of second-half stoppage-time.

source: theguardian.com