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4 key passes, 3 chances created, 100% aerial duels won: Late positional change brought the best out of rusty United star

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4 key passes, 3 chances created, 100% aerial duels won: Late positional change brought the best out of rusty United star

Manchester United equalised in the 96th minute to grab a point from their Premier League game against Bournemouth on Sunday which ended 1-1.

Rasmus Hojlund, who was anonymous for almost the whole game, ended his goalless drought by netting late on to save Ruben Amorim’s blushes, especially as the hosts were playing with 10 men since the 70th minute.

As indicated during the pre-match press conference, the head coach picked a strong XI for the game but it did not pay immediate dividends as it was the hosts who took an early lead through Antoine Semenyo.

Another huge call taken by the Portuguese tactician was handing Luke Shaw his first start of the season. The Englishman last started for the Red Devils back on February 18th 2024, 434 days ago.

Shaw was rusty early on

And that rustiness showed as the 29-year-old lost all his ground duels while also failing to win a single tackle. He also lost possession a whopping 17 times.

The left-back was partly to blame for the Bournemouth goal as he dilly-dallied with the ball, opting to invite pressure before putting Patrick Dorgu in a spot of bother which ultimately led to the Cherries winning the ball back near the box.

But once the home side went down to 10, Amorim opted to shift Shaw out wide for the final 15 minutes, which is where he is most dangerous and ultimately it was his ball inside the box that led to Hojlund’s goal.

The ex-Southampton ace managed to complete 54 passes, the most among any player out on the pitch, with four of them being key passes.

Three of his long balls also found their mark and he created three chances while attempting one shot. He also won all three of his aerial duels (stats via fotmob).

Dangerous out wide

The head coach admitted after the game that he had no intention of playing Shaw for the entire 90 minutes given his injury record, but trailing by a goal meant he was forced to take that step.

“It was not the plan to have 90 minutes but you need to win games. And you could feel that he was overloaded in that part of the field.

“He’s really good on crosses, he’s really good in the final third decision, he has a lot of quality. When we are losing or drawing, you don’t think about the next game. You need to win. I was not focused on the next game.”

With Diogo Dalot potentially out for the season, there is a good chance Shaw’s minutes will see a dramatic rise ahead of huge games coming up.

Amorim will hope the England international can shake off his rustiness and improve upon Sunday’s performance ahead of a season-defining clash against Athletic Club in the Europa League semi-finals.

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

Amorim provides crucial injury update on United star after concerning incident vs. Bournemouth

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Amorim provides crucial injury update on United star after concerning incident vs. Bournemouth

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has expressed confidence that Noussair Mazraoui will be ready to play against Athletic Club in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday after being taken off in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.

Rasmus Hojlund scored deep into stoppage time to snatch a valuable point for United after Antoine Semenyo had given the hosts the lead in the first half.

Mazraoui was on the receiving end of an aggressive sliding challenge from Evanilson, for which the Brazilian striker was shown a red card.

Mazraoui was taken off shortly and Amorim has revealed he made the change to protect the Moroccan.

Amorim spoke to reporters in his post-match press conference and also gave his verdict on the result and the upcoming Europa League meeting with Athletic Club.

“It was a tough game. The start of the game was hard for us – high pressure from the opponent and we lost some possessions in our build-up and the goal is like that. If you look at our games, it’s always a little bit our fault the way we suffer, suffer goals and then everything is so much harder to do.”

“But if you look at the game, especially the second half and especially with the send-off, we had ways to get inside the box and that is something that we are improving.”

“We create chances and we managed to score one but I feel that we lost two points today.”

Asked about his substitutions, Amorim said, “It was just to adapt and you can see that we change a lot of players, who were in positions they never played, so it was not a tactical aspect. It was just also to understand the players that it will have in extra time.”

“So if you suffer a goal in transition, you lose your head. You have 10 more minutes but if they score one goal in transition, one against one it could kill the game. So these small things are not so much about the tactical aspect.”

On Mazraoui, Amorim stated, “I think he’s okay. He will be ready [for Athletic Bilbao].”

“In these kind of situations, in this moment, anything that could be a danger for a player in that position, we lost Dalot, we try to save that [player].

Alejandro Garnacho was also the subject of a heavy tackle that left him writhing in pain. Asked for his opinion on such a challenge, Amorim said, “Nothing to say. It’s the Premier League and we need to play like that because it’s the way want the game [to be played].”

“Sometimes things happen but I have nothing to say about that.”

On whether it was his intention to keep Hojlund on for as long as possible to help him score a goal, Amorim told reporters, “I see the trainings, I see the way they behave, the way they want to improve. I see the games also and I try to put the best XI to win games. That’s all.”

“I want to support my players. I was a player and sometimes you have bad moments, difficult moments in a big club, so I think it was a good moment for him but it’s just a goal. Let’s focus on Thursday.”

On whether the plan was for Luke Shaw to play 90 minutes, Amorim said, “No. It was not the plan but you need to win games. So you can feel that it was overloan in that part of the field and he’s really good in crosses, he’s really good in the final third, the decision-making and he has a lot of quality.”

“In this moment when we are losing and drawing, you don’t think about the next game. You need to win and so I wasn’t focused on the next game.”

On Liverpool winning their 20th Premier League title and drawing level with United, Amorim explained, “The first thing is to focus on ourselves and not on the other teams. The next thing is to be really honest – we are at different levels in this moment.”

“But everything can change and I remember when I started seeing the Premier League, it was the opposite. So everything can change. We need to focus and go step by step, not trying to think too far ahead. We have an ultimate goal – winning the Premier League.”

“Again, I’m not crazy. I know that it’s not going to be next year but we are trying to build something and the small things are really important. We did that this year and we need to improve next year. I know that it’s important to the fans but we need to be honest with them and to work hard every day.”

On whether United will look to bring in an experienced striker in the summer, Amorim noted, “We have a lot of things to do this season. We like our strikers and we are improving our strikers. We’ll see what happens in the next season but in this season, Josh [Zirkzee] can’t play. Chido [Obi] is not in the [Europa League] list, unfortunately.

“He has the Premier League games to win every minute and work, and Rasmus is scoring, so we’ll see on Thursday.”

On how he’ll succeed where others who came after Sir Alex Ferguson failed, Amorim pointed out that he’ll continue to do what he believes in and then work hard every day irrespective of any setbacks that come along the way.

Feature image Dan Mullan via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

7 key passes, 3 tackles, 94 touches: United’s reliable creator deserved more than a draw at Bournemouth

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7 key passes, 3 tackles, 94 touches: United’s reliable creator deserved more than a draw at Bournemouth

Manchester United fought back to scrape a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth after Rasmus Hojlund turned in an injury time equaliser.

Despite the underwhelming scoreline United had far more of the ball and, as is so often the case, created numerous openings which they could not convert into goals.

Bruno Fernandes was once again the beating heart of his side’s attack, making seven key passes and creating one big chance.

The United captain’s tally of key passes matches that of the entire Bournemouth team, showing how dominant Ruben Amorim’s men were despite their shortcomings in front of goal.

Fernandes took two shots and had fans momentarily on their feet after rippling the side netting from distance with the Red Devils trailing in the second half.

The Portuguese also had the most touches of anyone on the pitch with 94, another illustration of United’s advanced game – Amorim generally sees his defenders touching the ball the most to build from the back.

Fernandes was tidy in possession, making 53 accurate passes – bested only by Luke Shaw’s 54 – from an attempted 66 to produce a passing accuracy of 80%.

His notoriously creative game often yields substantially lower accuracy as he tries to make things happen, but today’s showing was more measured. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old still managed to lose possession 23 times, more than anyone else on either side.

From a slightly deeper role Fernandes pinged ten long balls and found his man with five of them, and when pushing up and getting wide he put nine crosses into the box, three of which were accurate.

It was a typically all-action display from the player, who cut a frustrated figure at times as his side seemed in danger of fading away into yet another Premier League defeat.

Fernandes made three tackles, equalled only by Casemiro, and came out on top in four of his seven contested duels.

This was another game in which United had plenty of opportunities to tie up three points, yet they only managed to salvage one with a late strike at the death. That point was, though, enough to lift them above Everton and into 14th place.

All stats from sofascore.

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

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Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.

“We should have done it already”: Frustrated Fernandes pinpoints how United must improve after Bournemouth draw

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“We should have done it already”: Frustrated Fernandes pinpoints how United must improve after Bournemouth draw

Bruno Fernandes called for more “danger” from his Manchester United team-mates after they struck late to claim a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the United captain dished out a dose of realism, explaining that his side are “not at the best level in the Premier League.”

He said: “It was very important not to lose the game today. We’re not at the best level in the Premier League, so we needed to get something. It’s not the result we wanted, but we had to push a little to get something.”

The point earned by Rasmus Hojlund’s late equaliser took United above Everton into 14th place, far below the levels a player with standards as high as the Portuguese would be happy with.

He continued: “We did enough to at least score one goal. We created enough chances to score more than one goal, but it’s still not enough from us. We need to have more anger than the defenders to get the ball. To get [the ball] first, you need to be focused in everything you do in training. That’s what we have to do from now on.

“We should have done it already and we’ve been doing it in training, but you need to do it in games.”

Operating from the midfield Fernandes did everything he could, making as many key passes as the entire Bournemouth team, but to no avail.

He said: “Sometimes you get one chance and you score a goal, and sometimes you get ten or 15 chances and don’t score. With the team we have, we need to get more bodies in the box, create more danger, be more active in the box, and outside the box be much more brave to take our chances.”

The point was secured by Hojlund, whose 96th-minute strike was just his fourth Premier League goal this season. The young striker has been feeling the pressure, and Fernandes acknowledged this.

He said: “He knows how much he needs to score goals at this club. If you want to be at a big club like Manchester United, you need to improve every time you step onto the pitch, but it’s not only up to him.

“Expectations on him are very high, and he has to deal with that. When he doesn’t score, he has to focus on what he needs to do a little bit differently to score.”

United’s Premier League campaign has been an unmitigated disaster, but they remain in the hunt for silverware and for Champions League football next season should they go all the way in the Europa League.

Ruben Amorim’s men face Athletic Club on Thursday in the first leg of the semi-final, and Fernandes was asked about the parallels between them and Bournemouth. “Both teams are very intense with very quick wingers who are very good in one v ones,” he said. “We have time now to try and focus on what Athletic are going to do, but we have to focus on what we’re going to do.”

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.

“It’s always like this”: Amorim fumes at his players for costly blunder despite “deserved” point vs. Bournemouth

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“It’s always like this”: Amorim fumes at his players for costly blunder despite “deserved” point vs. Bournemouth

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has criticised his players for another defensive error, despite their resilient fightback to secure a “deserved” point against Bournemouth.

Rasmus Hojlund equalised deep into added time as United took advantage of Evanilson’s dismissal to scrape a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium.

The Red Devils were on course for a 16th loss of the Premier League season after gifting Antoine Semenyo an easy opener in the first half.

Luke Shaw’s pass to an under-pressure Patrick Dorgu saw the latter dispossessed, and seconds later, the ball was in the back of Andre Onana’s net.

After the final whistle, Amorim told BBC Match of the Day that his team did not deserve to lose based on the overall performance, but he was frustrated with the way Semenyo was allowed to score.

Amorim said, “I think [we deserved it]. In the first half we suffered with their high-intensity press, but we created chances.”

“We had quite similar chances near the box with a lot of shots. I think we deserved at least one point if you look at the game.”

“If you look at our last games, it’s always like this – we do something to help the opponent get an advantage. Then it’s really hard to score goals, but the players did really well to get at least one point.”

“We have the ability to push our opponents. There are small things I think we can do better. We need to understand these moments better, but if you look at the 20 minutes [after Evanilson’s red card], we had situations to score, which is really important.”

On Hojlund, the 40-year-old coach remarked, “I will not say [he is] relaxed, but he could be a little bit lighter during the week. He now needs to score many more.”

On Shaw starting for the first time since February last year, Amorim said, “It’s really important. Of course we need to be careful with his availability. [After the red card], he was the guy to overload that side. He has quality in the last third, he has a good pass.”

Amorim emphasised the win could give United some much-needed confidence ahead of their crunch  Europa League meeting with Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.

“We’ve lost two points. We didn’t win, but it doesn’t matter – it’s a different competition.”

Amorim also spoke to Sky Sports and explained, “Was one point. We could do better, We created chances but we need to do better near the box. It is small things. We have to understand the foot that is in play, crossing, one v ones. We need to understand the game in that way.”

“Today we pushed our opponent, especially after the sending off. We had the chances but again we didn’t score.”

He added about Hojlund, “It is always important for strikers to score. But when we look at the game as a striker it is not just the goals. It is a good boost but the next game is a new history and we have to go again.”

“The way Bournemouth defend is quite similar to we can take things from this game [Athletic Bilbao]. But again it is a new history and we must do better.”

Amorim refused to give his opinion on whether or not Evanilson deserved the red card. The United head coach simply said he does not comment on red cards.

Feature image Dan Mullan via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

100% dribbles, 100% aerial duels: United star shakes off his slump with spirited performance in draw vs. Bournemouth

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100% dribbles, 100% aerial duels: United star shakes off his slump with spirited performance in draw vs. Bournemouth

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund scored deep into injury time to salvage a point for his side in their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Bournemouth took the lead in the first half courtesy of Antoine Semenyo, who capitalised on some pitiful defending from the Red Devils.

Alejandro Garnacho had chances to score but was unable to find the target. In the second half, United barely laid a glove on the Bournemouth defence until Evanilson was shown a red card for a heavy challenge on Noussair Mazraoui.

Evanilson’s sending off gave United a renewed spark, and they dominated the final exchanges of the match at the Vitality Stadium before eventually restoring parity when Hojlund poked in after a low ball into the box.

The goal was just Hojlund’s fourth in the Premier League this season but it will do him a world of confidence, having gone for six games without finding the back of the net. He last scored in the 3-0 victory over Leicester City on March 16, just before the international break.

Hojlund may not have been unstoppable against Bournemouth, but he delivered when it counted. That’s all you can ask for from a striker, especially one like him who is struggling for form.

The Dane embarked on one dribble, which he completed. He managed to find his teammates with 13 of the 18 passes he completed (72% pass accuracy). One of his passes was a key pass.

The 22-year-old won both ground duels that he contested. He was required to contest four challenges in the air but came out on top on just one occasion.

Hojlund made one clearance.

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

Hopefully, his goal at the Vitality Stadium gives Hojlund the confidence boost he needs to get back to his best, especially with United targeting Europa League glory.

With Chido Obi ineligible for the European competition, all of United’s hopes are pinned on Hojlund, and they need him to deliver.

The Red Devils are back in action on Thursday when they go away to Spain for the first leg of their semi-final tie with Athletic Club.

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

Ruben: We saved a point but lost two

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Ruben: We saved a point but lost two

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Sunday 27 April 2025 18:00

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim believes his side’s performance at the Vitality Stadium deserved more than the point that was salvaged with Rasmus Hojlund’s stoppage-time equaliser.

While conducting his post-match media duties after the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, the boss summarised United’s display as one that warranted something after going behind, but also one that probably merited all three points.

The Reds grew into the game after going down to Antoine Semenyo’s first-half goal and were the team on top for much of the second half, particularly after Evanilson’s 70th-minute red card.

Persistence finally paid off with Hojlund’s 96th-minute leveller, a talking point that Amorim also answered on at full-time, while speaking about Luke Shaw’s first start of the club season and Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg at Athletic Club too.

Read on for a round-up of the key quotes from Ruben’s interviews with BBC, MUTV, Sky Sports and several radio broadcasters after Sunday’s match… 

Amorim speaks to MUTV Video

Amorim speaks to MUTV

📹 REACTION| Ruben says were United unlucky not to earn all three points against the Cherries…

WE IMPROVED AS GAME WENT ON

“It was tough in the beginning, high intensity, pressure from the opponent. We had some difficulties there but then during the game we were improving. We had our opportunities, we didn’t score. But then in the second half especially, we had a sense of we push the opponent to their own half, we create situations, and we manage to save a point. But I think if you look at the game, I think we lost two points.”

IMPORTANT FOR HOJLUND TO SCORE

“It’s always important for a striker to score a goal, but it’s just one goal. So, Thursday we have a huge, massive game for us, so he needs to be fresh and ready to play and to score another.”

FRUSTRATED WITH GOAL WE CONCEDED

“Of course [I’m frustrated with the way it came about]. If you look at our last games, it’s always like that. Something that we [do to] help the opponent get the advantage and then it’s really hard to score goals. But we move on, they did a great effort to recover one point.”

NOTHING TO SAY ON RED CARD

“I never comment on referees, no matter if we draw, lose or win. You can see the path, I will try to be like that until the end, so I have nothing to say.”

WE CAN DO BETTER WITH EXTRA MAN

“We have the ability to push the opponent. I think we can do better, especially in some decisions. Who makes the cross? What kind of player is one-against-one outside?  And we need to understand these moments better. But if you look at that 20 minutes, 30 minutes, we had some situations to score. And that is really important.”

Ruben’s post-Bournemouth press conference Video

Ruben’s post-Bournemouth press conference

PRESS CONFERENCE | Our head coach was asked about Shaw, Mazraoui, Hojlund and more, following our draw v the Cherries…

SHAW WAS A THREAT FOR US

“It’s really important [that he got 90 minutes]. We need to be careful with his availability but today you could feel it, especially with the sending off, he was the guy that could overload that [left] side. He has quality in the final third, a good pass. So, we maintain Luke Shaw because of that.”

WILL HE START ON THURSDAY?

“It’s hard when you push 90 minutes from Luke Shaw. He will maybe be in the squad, maybe we will not start. We need to be careful with him.”

BOURNEMOUTH PRESS SIMILARLY TO ATHLETIC CLUB

“These teams are quite similar in the high pressure, the way they press, so it was a good game to prepare for one of the most important games in our season [against Athletic Club].”

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Sunday 27 April 2025 18:00

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United’s comeback spirit vs Bournemouth will give Amorim some confidence ahead of season-defining Europa last-four clash

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United’s comeback spirit vs Bournemouth will give Amorim some confidence ahead of season-defining Europa last-four clash

Rasmus Hojlund stepped up to score in added time to save Manchester United’s blushes and help them rescue a point against the 10 men of Bournemouth on Sunday.

It was once again heading for a familiar result as Antoine Semenyo scored early in the first half for the hosts while the visitors tried hard but to no avail.

Before Evanilson’s 70th-minute red card, the Cherries looked comfortably in control despite Ruben Amorim picking his strongest XI for the game as he had indicated during the pre-match press conference.

The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Harry Maguire all returned to the starting lineup but it had little effect initially before the goal came in the sixth minute of added time.

Rasmus back among the goals

The goal came from Rasmus Hojlund, who was anonymous for the entire game before ultimately providing the telling touch inside the box.

With Alejandro Garnacho misfiring, Joshua Zirkzee ruled out for the rest of the season and Chido Obi ineligible for the Europa League, Amorim will be desperate to see the 22-year-old hit some form ahead of both legs of the semi-finals.

This goal should provide him some relief and help him settle down ahead of the huge contest in Bilbao in four days time.

With Diogo Dalot also possibly out for the season, Amorim will need his defenders to step up and on Sunday, he picked Luke Shaw for his first start of the season.

Shaw starts after a year

The England international was miles off the pace for most of the encounter and was partly responsible for the goal conceded on the day.

He was weak in the duels, and the rustiness showed at times but he did put in a dangerous cross right at the death that ultimately led to the equaliser.

The head coach will hope the Englishman can improve as he will now likely have a huge role to play against Athletic Bilbao.

Heading into a season-defining game on the back of another comeback, albeit for only a point, should do the team’s confidence some good and hopefully, the Red Devils can prove the Spanish media wrong over the course of both legs.

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

Who was our Man of the Match at Bournemouth?

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Who was our Man of the Match at Bournemouth?

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Sunday 27 April 2025 17:54

Manchester United fought until the death to earn a 1-1 draw away to AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, secured thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s last-gasp equaliser.

The Reds went a goal down midway through the first half in a frenetic couple of minutes – with a VAR intervention briefly threatening to reduce Bournemouth to 10 men.

But after a yellow card was deemed sufficient punishment for Tyler Adams’ challenge on Alejandro Garnacho, Bournemouth immediately went on the attack and scored through Antoine Semenyo’s low drive.

United were pretty dominant for much of the game thereafter, going closest in the first half when Garnacho forced Kepa Arrizabalaga to tip wide from a one-on-one opportunity. But for Dango Outarra striking the post soon after the half-time interval, United threatened plenty in the closing 45 minutes, with 25 shots in all.

Hojlund’s goal of course made the vital difference, the Dane pouncing after Manual Ugarte had diverted Luke Shaw’s low cross towards goal. But in a game where we exerted much control in search of a goal, a number of other Reds quietly impressed as well.

But, who was the man to receive the bulk of the voting in our official Man of the Match poll? Keep reading to find out more…

It was a mightily close call to pick out a winner, but Bruno Fernandes was the man to edge the voting from fans having their say in our post-match poll.

The skipper played his part in a probing United display that ultimately yielded just the one goal, but threatened to bring so much more.

Our experienced midfielder created our best chance of the first half with a mouth-watering pass to find Alejandro Garnacho in the first half, with an over-the-top ball that bounced perfectly into his team-mate’s path, drawing a smart one-on-one save from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

It also looked as though Fernandes would be the man to get the crucial goal himself, as he hit a couple of dangerous efforts in stoppage-time. One first-time shot from the edge of the box agonisingly skimmed the side-netting, before a second try in as many minutes forced Kepa into another save.

It was the man who did get the goal, Hojlund, who was scarcely beaten to the Man of the Match prize by Fernandes. The Dane showed an instinctive touch to grab his ninth goal of the campaign in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the second half – diverting Manuel Ugarte’s shot back beyond the wrong-footed Kepa and into the net.

The Dane was a willing runner in attack against the Cherries and can hopefully now take great confidence from finding the net in such important circumstances for the remainder of the season.

The returning Luke Shaw, making his first start for the Reds in over a year, and the lively Alejandro Garnacho received 10 per cent of the vote each, having both encouraged with their displays – the former’s cross leading to the goal and the latter keeping Kepa busy in the opposition goal.

Ultimately, our congratulations go to Bruno for another man-of-the-match display, as we move on to a monumental European tie against Athletic Club on Thursday.

Who was our Man of the Match on the south coast?

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Who was our Man of the Match on the south coast?

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  • Fernandes ‘happy’ for Hojlund Video

    Fernandes ‘happy’ for Hojlund

    📹 REACTION | Bruno was delighted to see team-mate Rasmus find the net against Bournemouth with a late leveller…

  • Amorim speaks to MUTV Video

    Amorim speaks to MUTV

    📹 REACTION| Ruben says were United unlucky not to earn all three points against the Cherries…

Sunday 27 April 2025 17:54

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8 shots, 100% dribbles, 100% long balls: United rising star was relentless up top vs Bournemouth

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8 shots, 100% dribbles, 100% long balls: United rising star was relentless up top vs Bournemouth

Manchester United were fortunate to avoid defeat at the death in what was a challenging 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth.

While Ruben Amorim’s team dominated up top, with a grandiose 25 shots on goal, they were largely inefficient with their chances, struggling to truly test the goalkeeper.

Still, a goal from Rasmus Hojlund deep in stoppage time was enough the rescue Man United from a crushing defeat.

Although several players were guilty of dropping disappointing performances, particularly up top, Alejandro Garnacho appeared alert and raring to pressure a resolute defence.

With a whopping eight shots on goal, five of Garnacho’s attempts were blocked by a resolute defence. He also had two shots saved by the goalkeeper and one shot off target.

One of United’s closest scoring opportunities of the match came from the Argentine winger, who got on the end of a surgical long-ball from Bruno Fernandes, beating the defence in the process.

Upon going one-on-one with the keeper, Garnacho tried to lob the Bournemouth shotstopper, only for his effort to be tipped over the crossbar.

As a result of his efforts, Garnacho had a 0.82 xG – the highest of any player from either team.

He also completed both of his dribbles.

With 20 of his 25 shots reaching their target, the winger’s passing was respectable, with an 80% passing accuracy. While he completed his only long ball of the game, he failed to complete any of his three crosses.

Garnacho completed four of his seven ground duels. While there may have been room for improvement, Garnacho put in a great effort to involve himself in United’s attacking play.

Still, he did not neglect his defence when called upon. The Argentine completed two interceptions to break down some of the home side’s attacking build-ups, while only being dribbled past once.

Garnacho also completed a key pass to top off what was a highly productive afternoon.

Although he is not yet scoring the amount of goals he should given his many opportunities, Garnacho is proving himself to be a hard worker and great attacking threat who will surely be a major asset to his team if he refines his shooting.

(Stats via Sofascore)

Feature image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

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.

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