Manchester United earned a valuable point away from home as they drew 1-1 with AFC Bournemouth.
Despite some determined attacking build-ups, Man United did little with the goal-scoring opportunities they created, proving lucky to grab a stoppage time goal to avoid almost certain defeat.
In the opening minutes, the home side dominated, beating United to almost every loose ball and camping within their final third.
Bournemouth almost took the lead in the third minute when Dango Ouattara’s cross flew just past Evanilson, letting United off the hook for what would have been an almost-guaranteed goal.
Only after 10 minutes did United spark to life, even if only for a brief moment. Kobbie Mainoo drove forward, firing a shot into the keeper’s gloves.
16 minutes in, United were on the attack again. Alejandro Garnacho took a shot from the edge of the box that veered just wide of the far post.
After Garnacho was fouled at the back, United received a free-kick in their own half. Unfortunately, Andre Onana decided to play a short ball out to Luke Shaw, placing him under unnecessary pressure.
Once his ball was played to Dorgu, it didn’t take long for the home side to intercept, especially thanks to their high press.
Evanilson laid off the ball to Antoine Semenyo, who hammered it into the back of the net with a thunderous shot. 1-0 to Bournemouth after 23 minutes.
Only 10 minutes from the break, United sprang to life. Following a threatening corner from Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui took a shot from the edge of the box that was blocked. Garnacho pounced on the rebound; however, his shot was kept out by an alert goalkeeper.
Minutes later, Garnacho came close to scoring. He got on the end of a counter-attack, attempting to chip the goalkeeper, only for him to put the ball out for a corner.
While nothing came from the corner, Semenyo wrestled Harry Maguire to the ground, raising questions about a penalty. After some deliberation, the referee decided against a spot kick – a strange decision given how aggressively the Bournemouth player brought Maguire to the ground.
On the stroke of half-time, Garnacho looked threatening on the edge of the box yet again, only to fire his effort wide. 1-0, the match remained as both teams made their way down the tunnel. United manager Ruben Amorim no doubt needed to instil some confidence into his side as they sought to claw their way back into the match.
Right after the restart, Semenyo almost doubled his tally as his shot soared past the left post. It was a stark reminder to United’s defence to stay alert.
Seven minutes in, Onana was almost caught off guard by an incoming cross, only to punch the ball out for a corner.
In the 55th minute, United sparked a rare counter, with Garnacho passing into the centre where Fernandes hit his shot wide. Still, the flag was raised for offside, meaning the movement was in vain either way.
Two minutes later, Dorgu was booked for a late clash with Adam Smith. It was a harsh decision given that there was little that the wing-back could do to avoid contact.
On the hour mark, Ouattara came close to doubling the home side’s lead, with his shot reverberating off the crossbar.
Five minutes later, Amorim decided that the time had come to breathe fresh life into his lineup by introducing some changes. Manuel Ugarte, Mason Mount, and Victor Lindelof came on for Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire.
With little over 20 minutes to play, United received an advantage as Bournemouth went down to ten men. Evanilson, who was originally given a yellow card, saw his booking upgraded to red upon VAR review. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that Evanilson committed a dangerously high challenge on Mazraoui.
After 75 minutes of play, Mazraoui was replaced by Chido Obi-Martin.
Moments after coming on, Obi came within inches of scoring when he tapped a pass from Garnacho goalwards from the centre of the box. It was a promising start to his cameo.
Six minutes from time, Mount came close to scoring when he received the ball in the box only for his effort to be blocked by a rigid defence. The subsequent corner was comfortably caught by the keeper.
Four minutes later, Mount came close again. A cut back from Dorgu found the midfielder in the box, whose shot was deflected out for a corner. Shaw got on the end of the corner, taking a shot from the edge of the box that drifted wide.
A minute into nine minutes of stoppage time, Obi came close to scoring again when his shot was tipped over the bar. Yet again, United failed to penetrate the home side’s defence.
Moments after coming on for Dorgu, Christian Eriksen took a speculative shot that was blocked with the ball falling to Fernandes, whose shot hit the outside of the net. Still, United couldn’t end their goal drought.
Fernandes was yet again the leader of United’s attack when he carried the ball into the box, only for the keeper to collect it.
Five minutes into stoppage time, United found the goal they had been desperately seeking. Fernandes passed to Shaw on the left flank, who threaded the ball to Garnacho in a crowded box. Garnacho laid the ball off to Hojlund, who scored from close range with his first touch.
It was an unexepcted conclusion to the match for United, with the struggling Hojlund finding the back of the net to rescue his team from defeat just minutes before the final whistle.
Hopefully, this comeback could inspire Amorim’s team ahead of their Europa League semi-final showdown with the high-flying Athletic Club.
Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images
Starting XI: Onana, Mazraoui, Maguire, Fernandes, Hojlund, Dorgu, Yoro, Garnacho, Casemiro, Shaw, Mainoo
Subs: Ugarte, Mount, Lindelof, Obi, Eriksen
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
