In the 16th Round of EPL, Manchester United dramatically drew with Bournemouth 4-4. After the game, The Athletics wrote an article on it, pointing out the problems ahead exposed by this game.
In one of the most exhilarating, chaotic and entertaining games of the Premier League season so far, Manchester United gave away the lead three times, reclaimed it with a late rally, only then to allow Bournemouth to equalise to make it 4-4. In the manic final stages, either team might well have grabbed a fifth.
United made a blistering start and scored after 13 minutes. Diogo Dalot cut in from the left and sent in a cross that, with Matheus Cunha jumping for the ball, Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic could only parry. Amad had the simple job of nodding in from close range.
Chances came and went, but five minutes before half-time, Bournemouth equalised. Luke Shaw lost the ball near the touchline and Adam Smith sent Antoine Semenyo charging toward goal and, from a tight angle, the Ghana forward finished low and accurately inside the far post.
It did not take long for United to reclaim the lead, however, as Bruno Fernandes’ deep corner was met by Casemiro’s downward header, which eluded Petrovic’s soft attempt at a save.
An improved Bournemouth came storming out in the second half, though, scoring twice in quick succession, first when Evanilson converted after a clever Marcus Tavernier pass and then when Tavernier curled in a low free kick. If Senne Lammens, the United goalkeeper, should have saved that one, there was no chance for Petrovic as Bruno Fernandes’s free kick with 13 minutes left flew into the top corner.
And then, bedlam at Old Trafford. Two minutes later a United counter ended with Matheus Cunha calmly striking the ball into the goal.
But there was still more. Bournemouth attacked through the middle of the pitch and Eli Junior Kroupi, on as a substitute, finished with composure.
How worried should United be by the chaos of this game?
For a while, this looked like this would be a historic defeat — United’s first at Old Trafford when leading at half time since 1984 actually, obliterating a record that stretched back 542 matches in all competitions.
Then, it looked like it would be a historic victory, as Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha’s goals within 129 seconds of each other not only salvaged that 41-year feat, but threw it back in Bournemouth’s faces, denying them their third consecutive win on this ground in three years.
But in the end, it was neither of those things. It was instead the second-most chaotic night of Ruben Amorim’s reign. It gave that Europa League quarter-final against Lyon a run for its money. Some might argue it surpassed it.
Perhaps we should’ve expected it. Andoni Iraola’s visitors are nothing if not intense and aggressive in their style, and United matched them for it. More than that, they bested them at it in a first half of free-flowing football, and deserved their lead at the break.
But United controlling games and holding onto leads has been a rarity of late. That second half at Selhurst Park is the exception that proves the rule. After throwing away leads against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in recent months, they did so again here. Three times.
That has to be a concern. And given how well United played at points in this game, a draw has to go down as a disappointment. But then there should also be relief that it was not worse than that, and that United came away with something from a game that had everything.
What did Amorim change about the formation? Did it work?
Was this a change of formation, then? Amorim had suggested in recent weeks that United need to become more flexible and adaptable in their tactical approach, particularly with the Africa Cup of Nations on the horizon.
Then, as The Athletic reported earlier on Monday, he told his players in a meeting last Sunday to expect a change after the trip to Molineux was out of the way.
United’s defensive drills during the warm-up were in their usual back-five shape, with Amad and Dalot as wing-backs. But once the game started, particularly in possession, there was something different.
Amad’s position was more advanced than usual, especially when Bournemouth were building up out the back. A map of United’s average positions during the first half showed a clear back four, in contrast to the shape at Molineux and in games past.
And even if the system has never been as rigid as Amorim’s harshest critics make out, there was certainly a greater fluidity than usual. It made for a first-half display of attacking verve, and a half-time lead, but Bournemouth’s typically intense style of play also poked at gaps.
It should not be abandoned, despite the chaos in this game. Teething problems are to be expected and there was enough promise to persist with it. If anything, this demonstrated that United’s issues were never going to be easily solved by a shift in shape.
Could Amad be the biggest miss while at AFCON?
Someone at Old Trafford should put a call into the Ivorian Football Federation to see if they’ll let him play this weekend too. But to be honest, they’ll probably want Amad on the first plane to Rabat tonight. After his first-half showing, who could blame them?
United are going to miss all three of their AFCON departees but Amad especially, not only because the 22-year-old lit up the first half before, during and after opening the scoring, bundling in a header in at point-blank range after Petrovic failed to deal with Dalot’s superb cross.
Amad scored Manchester United’s first goal from close range (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
He does not mind feasting on scraps like that, but he is at his best when dancing and weaving past defenders, as he did several times to terrorise Bournemouth’s left-hand side. One slalom past Adrien Truffert inside the box almost produced his second of the night.
His work rate is just as valuable, though. Despite playing in a more advanced position for much of the evening, he still harried and chased in the press, and tracked back tirelessly when it was beaten.
He is the only player in this squad capable of making a difference at both ends of the pitch in that way, certainly the only one on that right flank. His absence, however long it is over the next month, will be felt.
What did Amorim say?
“It was a fun game for everyone at home,” said Ruben Amorim in his post-match press conference. “You think we lost the two points in the second half, but I think we lost the two points in the first half. We should have more goals. It should be a different result in half-time. Similar to (the game against) Nottingham (Forest) we lost two goals really fast. We should close the game. There is the feeling of scoring four goals and not winning.
“If you understand a little bit, if you follow the club like I follow the Premier League for so long you have a duty not just to win the games but the way is so important for the fans. They are desperate to win but also to be inspired. Today was inspiring but there is also the feeling of frustration from not winning.”
When Amorim was asked about why United keep losing leads, he said: “It is understanding the moments of the game, understanding that a lot of goals after the half-time we need to start the second half in a different way. It is everything.”
How did he feel the changes to the formation worked? “That is for you to discuss, not for me. You can play with the same players, looks for one thing, can be another thing. I train this week the back four, I don’t know how you know, that is a good thing for you guys to discuss.
“We are pressing better, we are controlling better the game far from our goal. We are lacking quality when we defend our goal. It is something we need to address. It is different when you suffer so many goals and the opponent does not have what we create.”
Do United need to sign players to improve the defence? “No I think we have talent at the back and quality players, we just have to be better defending. We took care of the offence. We have the characteristics, we just need to work together.”
Amorim was asked about the challenge of United now losing both Mbeumo and Amad to AFCON and Casemiro being suspended for the next game against Aston Villa. “It is an opportunity for everyone. We will be ready for the challenge, we already knew that can happen for any team, a lot of teams are going to lose players. We need to go to the next game with the responsibility to win the game.