Rasmus Højlund has saved Rúben Amorim’s blushes as a last-gasp equaliser saw Manchester United draw 1-1 against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon on the south coast.
Rúben Amorim chose to return Bruno Fernandes to the starting XI as Manchester United lined up to face Bournemouth away from home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The tie began with United very much looking to match Bournemouth in terms of pace and physicality. Still, it was the home side who struck first, with Antoine Semenyo opening the scoring just after the 20-minute mark.
Although United looked to fight back, Alejandro Garnacho could not convert a few half-chances, with the two teams heading into the break with Andoni Iraola’s men a goal to the good.
The beginning of the second half saw a lot of United’s play go through Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu on the left flank. However, it took until the 70th minute for anything significant to occur, with Evanilson being shown a red card for a challenge on Noussair Mazraoui.
Chances then fell to those such as Chido Obi and Mason Mount, and it was Rasmus Højlund who was able to finally break the seal in the 90+6th minute to secure a 1-1 draw for Amorim’s men.
#1 – How Shaw fared on his first start
When the starting line-ups were announced, it was confirmed that Luke Shaw was making his first start for United since 18 February 2024, with his only other start in that time coming for England in the 2024 European Championship final.
As for his performance, he had a relatively quiet first 45 minutes during the opening half, playing as left centre-back. It was only in the final 15 minutes that he kicked up a gear, which will be discussed below.
#2 – United unable to match Bournemouth physically
Amorim has been keen to point out in his press conferences that he feels his squad is not as physically capable as many other Premier League sides, and this was clearly on display against Bournemouth.
Iraiola’s men are known to be one of the most physically robust and high-intensity teams in the competition, and United found it hard to deal with them across all areas of the pitch in the first half.
With Bournemouth down to ten men, United were able to use their advantage to dominate possession and attempt to inflict damage on Bournemouth, but to little avail.
#3 – Garnacho remains United’s only forward threat
Throughout the fixture, it became clear that, out of United’s front three, Garnacho was the club’s only consistent threat, a theme that has been an unfortunate trend for United over the last month.
The player had a few good chances to score, which he could not convert, and when United looked to equalise toward the end of the tie, he was insistent in his creativity.
With United looking to add Matheus Cunha and potentially Liam Delap to their attack, and the return of Amad next week, hopefully, Amorim’s attacking threat can become more varied.
#4 – Shaw’s 15 minutes at left wing-back
With not long left in the game, Shaw moved to left wing-back and was very good, looking to throw in as many crosses as he could.
Read More: Player Ratings – Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United (Premier League)
Shaw looked to bomb down the left flank and interchange with Garnacho, and it was no doubt the most dangerous United had looked all game.
It was Shaw as a wing-back who created the chance for Højlund to equalise, which gives Amorim something to think about going forward.
#5 – All eyes on Bilbao
Admittedly, it is not too hard to stomach the loss on the south coast, as all United fans know that it is simply a warm-up for the Europa League trip in midweek.
Amorim will be encouraged by the performances of some players, such as Shaw and Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, ahead of the fixture. At the same time, Mason Mount added a much-needed sense of urgency in the second half.
United will now have a few days to recoup before they fly to Bilbao on Wednesday afternoon in the build-up to their biggest fixture of the season so far.
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