Rasmus Hojlund came to the rescue for Manchester United to salvage a draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The Red Devils were minutes away from suffering a record-breaking 16th Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United target Antoine Semenyo had fired the hosts into the lead in the first half and Ruben Amorim cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines as his team chased an equaliser.
Eventually, Rasmus Hojlund ended his goal drought and drew United level from close range in injury time.
It came just a few minutes after a brilliant tactical tweak from Amorim on the sidelines.
Ruben Amorim tweaked Rasmus Hojlund’s position before goal
Earlier this week, Amorim defended Hojlund from criticism, praising his work rate and attitude behind the scenes.
With Joshua Zirkzee out injured, he had little choice but to start Hojlund at the Vitality Stadium, but he showed his faith in the Danish forward by keeping him on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes, even after Chido Obi came off the bench.
As pointed out by journalist Laurie Whitwell, once Amorim made his changes and brought on Obi in the 75th minute, he instructed Hojlund to change his position.
From the sidelines, Amorim shouted at Hojlund to shift position, dropping back into a No.10 role alongside Alejandro Garnacho.
Just minutes later, the 22-year-old striker made a well-timed run in the box and got his reward by scoring just his third Premier League goal of the season.
Rasmus Hojlund’s match stats for Man United vs Bournemouth
Hojlund needs to step up in the final stages of this season as Amorim’s only remaining senior striker.
Against Bournemouth, Hojlund showed signs of improvement compared to recent weeks. He continued to make dangerous runs and in possession he didn’t make too many sloppy mistakes.
A glance a Hojlund’s match stats on the south coast shows he can be proud of his performance against the Cherries.
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Dribbles completed | 100% (1/1) |
| Passes completed | 72% (13/18) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 100% (2/2) |
| Aerial duels won | 25% (1/4) |
Despite dominating possession, United weren’t able to find Hojlund as much as he would have liked. He ended up scoring with his only shot of the match.
Hojlund’s celebration showed just how much that goal meant to him, and hopefully, it grows his confidence ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League clash against Athletic Club.
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