Bournemouth convincingly defeated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford to seal back-to-back league wins at the Theatre of Dreams. The defeat maintains the Red Devils in an unfamiliar 13th spot at Christmas-the lowest Christmas position since 1989-while the Cherries rose into fifth, now dreaming of continental football.
The visitors took the lead just before the half-hour mark through Dean Huijsen, whose glanced header from Ryan Christie’s free-kick gave Bournemouth the lead. The Dutchman almost gifted United a goal moments later as his blushes were spared by Kepa Arrizabalaga, who denied Bruno Fernandes.
Trailing at the break, United manager Ruben Amorim introduced Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund early in the second half in search of a comeback. However, Bournemouth doubled their advantage when Justin Kluivert converted a penalty after Noussair Mazraoui’s clumsy foul. The Dutchman calmly sent André Onana the wrong way to net his fourth spot-kick of the season.
Two minutes later, Antoine Semenyo compounded United’s misery by finishing from Dango Ouattara’s precise cut-back as the Cherries made it four wins in five by being clinical to leave United stunned. For United, meanwhile, their struggles in a season that is continually unraveling deepen, with no clear sign of recovery.
