Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth: Pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag after dismal defeat

Having somewhat eased the pressure on his managerial tenure in midweek with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, Erik ten Hag looked to guide his Manchester United side to another three points on Saturday as they welcomed Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth to Old Trafford.

MUN: Onana; Reguilon, Shaw, Maguire, Dalot; Amrabat, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Antony; Martial

BOU: Neto; Kerkez, Senesi, Zabarnyi, Smith; Christie, Cook; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Solanke

Three days before their must-win UEFA Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich, Manchester United’s players would be desperate to secure a resounding victory against an in-form Bournemouth side – but Saturday’s outcome leaves the Red Devils, and Erik ten Hag in particular, in serious danger.

It took just five minutes for Dominic Solanke to find the opener for the visiting Cherries, arriving in the six-yard box to drive an effort past André Onana after a delightful cross from Lewis Cook.

The visitors fully deserved their lead, with Manchester United seemingly not capable of threatening Neto at all on a sodden, miserable afternoon at the so-called Theatre of Dreams.

Second-half headed efforts from Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi put any hopes of a late United comeback out of reach, with the two goals separated by just five minutes as the Red Devils seemed to find the self-destruct switch.

Dango Ouattara’s stoppage-time effort looked to hand the Cherries a deserved fourth, but a VAR check found that a handball offence had been committed in the buildup.

Three goals and three points move Bournemouth up to 13th in the Premier League table, but for Manchester United, the forecast is bleak. They are the only side in the top half of the table to possess a negative goal difference, and seven defeats from 16 league fixtures paints a damning picture of life under Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils will need a miracle if they’re to stun Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, which they must do to keep any hopes of UEFA Champions League progression alive.