Premier League: Manchester United 0 Bournemouth 3 Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United reign lurched further into crisis with an emphatic and embarrassing defeat to Bournemouth that was greeted by boos at a half-empty Old Trafford on the final whistle Andoni Iraola’s visitors were full value for a victory that underlined the depths to which United have sunk and the enormity of the task facing Erik ten Hag’s successor. The 3-0 win was a repeat of the result at the start of December last season and reinforced the fact that ten Hag’s dismissal has brought about no short-term gain for United. They also still face the complications surrounding Marcus Rashford who, for a third straight game, was left out of the match day squad by Amorim for “selection” reasons.
United fell behind just before the half-hour in depressingly familiar fashion, conceding from a set-piece for the ninth time in the Premier League this season. It came from a free-kick, awarded for a foul on the wing by Tyrell Malacia on Adam Smith, the latest in a number of errors made by the Dutch defender. Ryan Christie swung in the free-kick and teenage defender Dean Huijsen was unmarked to head in from six yards, arriving between Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee.
So unimpressive was United’s organisation that it was not immediately apparent who was responsible for the failure but Zirkzee looked prime culprit. It was also, incredibly, the 17th set-piece goal United have conceded in the calendar year - a new w.