Matheus Cunha was Man United’s key man in Bournemouth draw

Manchester United found frustration on the south coast as hosts Bournemouth fought back to earn a 2-2 draw. The Red Devils showed purpose and promise in the first half but failed to score, then saw two leads blown in the second half. A Bruno Fernandes penalty was cancelled out by a Bournemouth breakaway, and the own goal which restored United’s advantage was matched by a spot kick for the hosts which saw the game end honours even. Cunha a bright spark Going ahead twice and emerging with a draw is bound to cause consternation, but United did a lot of things well at the Vitality Stadium. For long periods Michael Carrick’s side had an urgency about them which has been missing in recent weeks, and key to this was Matheus Cunha. Playing down the left the Brazilian completed two of four attempted dribbles, the joint-most of anyone on the pitch. As well as getting a snap shot on target and putting one wide, Cunha was the man fouled to win his side the penalty which Fernandes converted to open the scoring. Only the captain saw more of the ball than Cunha, who took 55 touches and attempted 36 passes. Twenty-nine of them found their man, working out as an 81% accuracy rate. Cunha was one of five United men to make a single key pass, and he was on target with the only long ball he attempted. He also found his man with one of three attempted crosses. Contributions at both ends A constant thorn in Bournemouth’s side, the 26-year-old won seven duels of ten contested. This included winning all three of his aerial battles, and four of seven on the ground. No player matched these impressive figures. The Brazilian also mucked in at the back with four defensive contributions. He made one clearance, one interception and one tackle, and blocked a singular shot. Matheus Cunha vs. Bournemouth PlayerMatheus Cunha Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.07 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.21 Key passes1 Crosses (accurate)3 (1) Accurate passes29/36 (81%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)14/18 (78%) Passes in own half (acc.)15/18 (83%) Long balls (accurate)1/1 (100%) Total shots2 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.1 Shots on target1 Shots blocked1 Touches55 Unsuccessful touches3 Dribbles (successful)4 (2) Was fouled1 Penalties won1 Possession lost14 Total carrying distance232.4 m Carries22 Progressive carries5 Total progression82.6 m Progressive carrying distance103.6 m Longest progressive carry25.8 m Def. contributions4 Tackles (won)1 (0) Interceptions1 Clearances1 Blocked shots1 Recoveries7 Ground duels (won)7 (4) Aerial duels (won)3 (3) Fouls1 Dribbled past0 United will be eager to get back to winning ways but must wait 24 days for their clash with Leeds United. Cunha was the pick of Carrick’s attackers today, so should be nailed on to start against United’s Yorkshire rivals at Old Trafford in April. Stats taken from sofascore. Featured image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Joe Ponting 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. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.