Manchester United and Bournemouth served up one of the most breathless matches of the Premier League campaign, sharing eight goals in a pulsating 4-4 draw at Old Trafford that swung wildly from start to finish. Ruben Amorim’s willingness to tinker tactically produced thrilling attacking football, but familiar defensive frailties again cost his side maximum points.
United began with intensity and imagination, overwhelming Bournemouth in the opening stages and peppering the visitors’ goal with wave after wave of attacks. Their early dominance was rewarded when Amad Diallo, playing his final match before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations, rose to glance home a header that survived a brief VAR check.
Despite United’s control, Bournemouth struck back against the flow of play. A lapse at the back allowed Antoine Semenyo space to drive forward and finish clinically, punishing United’s inability to convert pressure into security. The hosts responded before the interval, Casemiro powering in a header from a corner to restore a deserved lead and send United into the break on top.
Any sense of control evaporated almost instantly after the restart. Bournemouth stunned Old Trafford by scoring twice in rapid succession, Evanilson striking within seconds of the second half beginning before Marcus Tavernier curled a sublime free-kick into the corner to flip the contest on its head.
United, refusing to fold, hit back with equal force. Bruno Fernandes bent in a magnificent free-kick to level matters once more, before Matheus Cunha reacted quickest in a crowded penalty area to turn home and seemingly put Amorim’s side back in command. By this stage, shape and structure were abandoned in favour of all-out attack, with United committing numbers forward in search of daylight.
But the chaos was not done. Bournemouth summoned one final twist when substitute Eli Junior Kroupi slipped between defenders and finished with composure, silencing the home crowd and sealing an extraordinary stalemate. Both sides might have snatched a winner late on, such was the openness of a contest that never allowed either team to breathe.
The draw leaves United hovering in the top-six pack, level on points with several rivals, while Bournemouth edge further clear of trouble after a fearless display. For Amorim, the performance offered encouragement going forward, but the inability to manage decisive moments ensured a night of entertainment ended in frustration rather than triumph.
