Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth: Amorim suffers Old Trafford humbling

Manchester United suffered a woeful 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth as Ruben Amorim’s mixed start in charge at Old Trafford continued.

United stunned rivals Manchester City with a late turnaround to win 2-1 last weekend, though this showing was more in keeping with Thursday’s chaotic 4-3 loss to Tottenham in the EFL Cup.

Dean Huijsen silenced the home crowd by heading home Ryan Christie’s free-kick, his 29th-minute opener exposing United’s set-piece frailties again as Andre Onana was left motionless on Sunday.

Bournemouth continued to look dangerous and found their reward when Justin Kluivert’s penalty doubled the lead after 61 minutes, the forward scoring after winning the spot-kick for Noussair Mazraoui’s foul.

Antoine Semenyo slotted in a well-taken third just two minutes later, racing towards the penalty spot before firing a low left-footed effort past Onana from Dango Ouattara’s cutback pass.

This win lifts high-flying Bournemouth to fifth in the table and just three points adrift of the top four, while United’s struggles leave them 13th and in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.

More magic in Manchester pic.twitter.com/7JAaijrFUj

— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) December 22, 2024

Data Debrief: Set-piece woe for struggling United

Not since the 1989-90 season have United been in a worse position heading into the Boxing Day fixtures, having sat 12th in that campaign, one place above their position this term.

That marks a new nadir for this struggling United, who have conceded three or more goals in a Premier League home game four times this season, with only Southampton (five) managing more.

Defensive issues remain aplenty for Amorim, with United conceding 17 goals from set-pieces, excluding penalties, in the Premier League in 2024; their most in a single calendar year in the competition.

In stark contrast, Bournemouth have now won their last three away games in the league, their most since a four-match run in December 2023, when they beat United by the same scoreline in the third outing.