Bournemouth Beat Manchester United 3-0
AFC Bournemouth beat Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with goals from Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson leaving United 16th in the Premier League and deepening the pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
Rayan opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a left-footed volley at the far post from Justin Kluivert’s free-kick, arriving unmarked. Tavernier made it 2-0 in the 43rd when he tapped into an empty net after Adrien Truffert dispossessed a slipping Leny Yoro on the edge of the area. Evanilson sealed the result in the 71st minute, collecting a long ball from Lewis Cook, going round goalkeeper Senne Lammens and finishing from a tight angle.
United had 62 per cent of possession and 15 shots, but only three were on target, against Bournemouth’s four from nine attempts. The hosts collected four yellow cards before half-time, in the 22nd, 37th, 40th and 45th minutes, while Bournemouth were booked once, in the 27th. Jarred Gillett refereed the match, which was played in matchday 8.
The result leaves United with seven points from eight games and a single win. They have not won in any of their last seven Premier League and Champions League matches, a sequence that began after their 4-0 Champions League victory over Sabah on 10 September, and Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat at Como came in the Champions League. Bournemouth move up to 13th on nine points, and it was their first away league win of the season. They beat Sunderland 2-0 last Sunday and AC Milan 3-0 in the Europa League in midweek, and the match report counts four straight wins in all competitions without conceding.
Carrick dropped captain Bruno Fernandes to the bench, describing the decision as “pure football,” and Fernandes was not used. United fans booed at half-time and full-time, some displayed banners referring to “standards,” and supporters sang Carrick’s name at the end. Speaking afterwards, Carrick said he was “carrying on as normal,” understood the situation and would “always do what I feel is going to be the best for the football club.” He gave no guarantees about his position for Saturday’s trip to Chelsea, described a mix of emotions and stressed how much the players were hurting.
Bournemouth manager Marco Rose credited his team’s effort, attitude and front-footed approach, saying they had concentrated on their own game rather than United’s difficulties. He singled out Evanilson, describing the striker’s work as “relentless.” The Brazilian has scored four goals in his last five games.
The win came in Bournemouth’s 350th Premier League match and was their third 3-0 victory at Old Trafford, after results of the same score there in 2023-24 and 2024-25. They host Leeds United next on Saturday 31 October.
