Bournemouth 1-1 Man Utd: 3 talking points as Red Devils avoid unwanted history | OneFootball

A late Rasmus Hojlund equaliser ensured Manchester United avoided a record-breaking 16th Premier League defeat of the season at Bournemouth on Sunday.

The Cherries were heading towards three huge points in their bid to play in Europe next season, but their efforts were compromised by a harsh sending off and Hojlund's instinctive finish after Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring in the first half.

United, who remain 14th, now turn their attentions to Athletic Club, while Bournemouth will end the weekend in tenth after Brighton and Fulham's wins on Saturday.

How the game unfolded

While Ruben Amorim has made it clear that the Europa League is his overwhelming priority down the stretch, the Man Utd boss opted for rhythm over rests ahead of their trip to Bilbao on Thursday.

Five changes were made from last Sunday's XI against Wolves, with Luke Shaw making his first start of the season.

Bournemouth were content with United having much of the ball in the opening stages, with the visitors producing a fairly controlled opening in the face of Cherries pressure. A dazzling Kobbie Mainoo sequence led to the midfielder shooting straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga, while the first of several Alejandro Garnacho efforts in the opening period dragged just wide of the Spaniard's post.

United may have felt Tyler Adams should've received harsher punishment for his full-blooded challenge on Garnacho, and they immediately conceded after the restart. A sloppy build-up sequence was pounced upon by Bournemouth, who transitioned efficiently in the final third. Evanilson's smart layoff allowed Antoine Semenyo to crash home the opening goal.

Amorim's men struggled to muster much of a response in the aftermath, but there were a few positive signs towards the end of the first half. Garnacho had an attempted lob saved by Kepa after Illia Zabarnyi failed to deal with Bruno Fernandes' pinpoint pass in behind Bournemouth's defence, and the Argentine closed out the opening period by shooting wide after drifting in off the right flank.

United felt the hosts' wrath at the start of the second-half, with the Cherries able to progress and penetrate at will before the hour mark without extending their advantage. Dango Ouattara came the closest to netting a second, as his free-kick from the right wing caught Andre Onana out, but his effort hit the inside of the post.

After holding off Bournemouth's surge, United received a huge boost midway through the second-half as Evanilson was sent off for his challenge on Noussair Mazraoui despite quite clearly slipping when he went to ground.

The Red Devils struggled to sustain pressure after the hosts went down to ten, but Bournemouth succumbed to a barrage in the closing stages. It looked like a defence that, on average, has conceded less than a goal-a-game on home soil in the Premier League this season would record their third successive clean sheet after United came close to drawing level on several occasions.

However, United's moment eventually did arrive, and Hojlund was the man who delivered at the death.

Check out the player ratings from Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United here.

Luke Shaw's first start in 434 days

Shaw was back in the Man Utd XI on Sunday / Dan Mullan/GettyImages

For the first time since February 2024, Luke Shaw found himself in Manchester United's starting XI.

It's been a mightily frustrating couple of years for the full-back due to an array of injury setbacks, and his fitness woes have limited him to just a handful of appearances this season. On Sunday, Shaw started at left centre-back for Amorim but had much more joy when operating more as a conventional full-back during the final quarter of the contest.

Systematic issues meant Shaw's influence was limited in the build-up, with his moments of vintage quality when he was given the freedom to arrive on the overlap. A couple of excellent crosses causes problems after Bournemouth went down to ten.

There were hints of rust, and Shaw didn't escape the Vitality without picking up a booking, but those moments on the overlap should ignite some optimism regarding the full-back. He may be better served operating as a wing-back for Amorim given Patrick Dorgu's current struggles.

Hojlund equalised in stoppage time / Dan Mullan/GettyImages

The Danish forward has come under heavy scrutiny in year two, and Hojlund, for the overwhelming majority of the contest, did little to shift opinion at the Vitality.

The striker once again struggled to get involved in proceedings, with his touch count limited and shot-count zero before his finish in stoppage-time. While he doubtlessly isn't aided by a side which is failing to coalesce as a collective under Amorim with the ball, Hojlund is not yet a forward capable of carving moments out for himself.

He doubtlessly would've been chastised for an anonymous showing on the south coast, but Hojlund instead has something to build on ahead of a crucial pair of fixtures against Athletic Club.

Two big points dropped for Bournemouth

Evanilson was sent off following VAR intervention / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages

The football Gods have conspired against Bournemouth this weekend. After Brighton and Fulham each struck late to win their respective fixtures on Saturday, the Cherries were on the receiving end of a stoppage-time goal here.

As a result, Andoni Iraola's side will end the gameweek in tenth and with work to do ahead of the final four games if they're to play in Europe for the very first time next season. An eighth-place finish may well be enough.

Three points here would've bolstered their chances greatly, and they looked set to secure a big victory after Semenyo's first-half strike. United missed a few late on before Hojlund's leveller, but there's no way Bournemouth would've been forced to defend their box with so much vigour if Evanilson hadn't received his marching orders for slipping into a somewhat reckless foul on Mazraoui.

The Brazilian's red card was undoubtedly harsh, but some will argue that Adams was lucky to stay on the pitch just before Bournemouth's opening goal. Swings and roundabouts.