Manchester United gifted three points to Bournemouth in the final Premier League clash before Christmas.
Just as they did this time last season, Bournemouth claimed a 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Bournemouth opened the scoring from a set piece before a quickfire double via Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo extended their lead.
United wasted several chances with Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho coming close, but Ruben Amorim’s side were made to pay for their mistakes and wasted opportunities.
After crashing out of the Carabao Cup midweek, United will now spend Christmas in the bottom half of the Premier League table in 13th.
Marcus Rashford exit feels inevitable
Before a ball was even kicked at Old Trafford, Amorim made the call to leave Marcus Rashford out of his matchday squad for a third game in a row.
It follows Rashford’s bombshell interview where he revealed he was open to a “new challenge”.
United fans unveiled a Rashford banner against Tottenham midweek, and it seems there is no way back for the 27-year-old despite Amorim opening the door for him to stay.
An exit feels inevitable in 2025.
Matthijs de Ligt is a big miss
After the defeat to Spurs, Amorim said United lack physicality with Matthijs de Ligt missing through illness.
Unfortunately, the Dutch defender was also absent with an illness against Bournemouth and he was once again missed.
The 25-year-old is a big presence in both boxes and is a key figure when it comes to defending set pieces.
De Ligt has impressed under Amorim and the Portuguese head coach will be counting the days until he can return.
Milos Kerkez passes Old Trafford audition
Amorim wants a new left wing-back in 2025 and he got a close-up look at one of the club’s top targets.
United have been linked with Milos Kerkez, and the 21-year-old started for the Cherries and lined up against Amad Diallo on the left.
Milos Kerkez did well at Old Trafford and showed plenty of attributes that would appeal to Amorim, including his energetic pressing.
The man Kerkez would likely replace is Tyrell Malacia, who massively struggled on his return to the side.
Before kick-off, Amorim described Malacia as “fresh” but he struggled at wing-back and was hooked at half-time for Leny Yoro.
Set piece problems continue
Bournemouth opened the scoring with a set piece headed in by Dean Huijsen. Unfortunately, that is becoming a recurring theme.
Amorim has watched his side drop points to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and now the Cherries with all three of those sides scoring from set pieces.
United have now conceded a total of nine goals from set-pieces in the Premier League, with only Wolves conceding more. It is an issue that Amorim and his staff have to get on top of as soon as possible.
Man United building terrible habits
In Amorim’s first few matches, United were starting games quickly and had a good record of scoring just moments after kick-off.
However, Bournemouth’s opener at Old Trafford means this is the sixth straight game that United have conceded first.
Against Viktoria Plzen and Manchester City, United were able to come from behind and pick up important wins, but it is simply not sustainable.
On top of that, United react poorly when going behind. Against Forest, United conceded twice in seven minutes. Twice in eight minutes against Tottenham and twice in three minutes against Bournemouth.
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