Bournemouth are celebrating a stunning first-ever victory at Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were outplayed and outfought in a 3-0 Premier League humiliation.
The Red Devils were embarrassed by Andoni Iraola’s ever-improving Cherries just three days on from beating Chelsea with arguably their best performance of the season.
Star turn Dominic Solanke scored a smart fifth-minute opener and hit the post in an alarming first-half display by United that was followed by a complete capitulation after the break.
Substitute Philip Billing headed Bournemouth further ahead and Marcos Senesi added another from a corner in front of the elated, open-mouthed away support.
A number of United fans left after the third and a VAR review prevented Dango Ouattara adding another on an afternoon that ended with widespread boos from the Old Trafford faithful.
This result is sure to heap pressure on boss Ten Hag, whose decision to replace Anthony Martial with Rasmus Hojlund was cheered on a dark day that could soon be compounded.
United’s European ambitions are hanging by a thread heading into Tuesday’s final Champions League group game at home to Bayern Munich. A trip to high-flying rivals Liverpool follows next weekend.
The 11th loss in all competition of the campaign – and 18th of 2023 – was on the cards from the outset.
United stumbled out of the blocks and were breathing a sigh of relief when Solanke went down in the box as Andre Onana attempted to reach a back pass with 46 seconds on the clock.
The VAR decided against awarding a penalty after reviewing the incident, but the hosts’ sloppiness was quickly punished.
Having won the ball and kept it smartly, Bruno Fernandes’ clipped ball from deep on the left side of their own half was picked off by Lewis Cook.
The Cherries midfielder nipped in ahead of Scott McTominay, burst forward and sent a low ball that Solanke smartly took past Onana with a delicate six-yard finish.
United were stunned and quickly looked to make amends, but Harry Maguire’s looping header was the best they could muster despite controlling possession.
Bournemouth were as defensively organised as they were committed and threatened to land another first-half blow on several occasions.
Marcus Tavernier saw a low attempt saved and found the net in the 24th minute, turning in from close range after Onana stopped a header from what proved to be an offside Solanke.
Illia Zabarnyi saw an effort from a corner turned around the post by Diogo Dalot as the away side pushed for another, going onto hit the woodwork as half-time approached.
McTominay saw a first-time pass cut out and Solanke was slipped in to get away a low shot that beat Onana but came back off the far post.
The striker would have got away another in stoppage-time was it not for a key Maguire challenge at the end of a Bournemouth break. Little wonder there were boos at the interval.
The lack of United changes at half-time was more surprising and there were huge cheers when Hojlund replaced ineffective Martial in the 56th minute.
There had been groans during the forward’s involvement towards the end of the opening period and Ten Hag gave him a pat on the back after traipsing around the pitch to the dugout.
Hojlund was swiftly booked for waving an imaginary card and soon expressed more frustration when Dalot struck into the side-netting rather than crossing.
The hosts’ mood soon worsened. Bournemouth won possession and Solanke darted forwards, before playing wide for Tavernier to lift a cross to the far post where the towering Billing headed home.
The 68th-minute goal was followed by a another in the 73rd and led to some of the 72,427 in attendance making an early exit.
Tavernier’s corner from the right was good but made to look a lot better by awful defending, with Senesi all too easily able to get away a header that beat Onana.
Ten Hag made a triple change but it was too little, too late.
As if the afternoon was not damaging enough, Fernandes’ moaning at the referee earned him a a booking that rules him out of next Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
The VAR saved United from conceding a fourth in stoppage-time, with Ouattara adjudged to have handled when bundling past the hapless hosts.
Carragher lambasts Salah's 'selfish' contract talk
Jamie Carragher has criticised Mohamed Salah for being “selfish” after the Liverpool forward indicated he would more likely than not leave the club at the end of the season.
Salah suggested he was “probably more out than in” following his match-winning brace at Southampton that sent league leaders Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
His second goal of the two was his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions, but with his contract up at the end of the season, Salah is yet to receive a new offer.
Carragher was disappointed in the Egyptian’s decision to cast doubt on his future with clashes against Real Madrid and Manchester City fast approaching.
"Right now, there's obviously a big difference in the valuation. What Salah and his agent value themselves at, whether that's financially or in terms of length of contract, to what Liverpool do,” Carragher explained on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
"So the reason Liverpool wouldn't have offered a contract yet is because Salah will turn it down, so they're still in talks. I'm desperate for them to meet in the middle, but I am very disappointed with Salah.
"Liverpool have got Real Madrid midweek and they've got Manchester City at the weekend, that's the story for Liverpool right now.
"We’re all quite aware, certainly the local reporters are in Liverpool, that in the seven years he's been at the football club he's stopped in the mixed zone twice, which is his right, which is absolutely fine.
"But he decided to stop for the third time away at Southampton on the back of winning Liverpool the game and putting that out.”
Liverpool came back from behind to win 3-2 on the south coast with Salah sealing the three points from the spot seven minutes from time.
The right-winger has 16 goal contributions already this season (10 goals, six assists), leading Liverpool for goals and assists. He also boasts the best goalscoring rate in the squad, with a goal every 106 minutes.
His form has been invaluable to new boss Arne Slot, who has won 10 of his 12 Premier League games in charge of Liverpool (D1 L1), the joint-fastest any manager has reached double figures for wins from the start of their career in the competition.
It places the Merseyside team in a strong position to reclaim the league title.
"Now the most important thing for Liverpool this season is not the future of Mo Salah, it's not the future of Virgil van Dijk and it's not the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold,” added Carragher.
"The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League. That is more important than any of those players, and if he continues to put comments out or his agent keeps putting cryptic tweets out, that's selfish, that's thinking about themselves and not the football club."
Howe bemoans 'strange decisions' from Newcastle in West Ham defeat
Eddie Howe bemoaned some "strange decisions" and individual errors as Newcastle United lost 2-0 against West Ham at St James' Park.
Newcastle's three-match winning run in all competitions was halted as goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka earned West Ham victory in Monday's Premier League clash.
Soucek's 10th-minute opener came via a free header from a corner, while Wan-Bissaka had space inside the box to get a shot away for his goal early in the second half.
At the other end, Alexander Isak failed to find the target from any of his six shots, including one Opta-defined big opportunity at 1-0 down.
Reflecting on the defeat, Howe told Sky Sports: "It was a mixed night for us. In the first 60 minutes, although we were 2-0 down, we played some good football.
"But I was disappointed by the two goals we conceded and the last half-hour was really disappointing. We got our organisation wrong and made a couple of individual errors.
"If you leave a player with Tomas Soucek's aerial ability unmarked, you are going to pay the price. It's something we have to learn from.
"I was always confident we were in the game and there was a very good chance we could come back. But we missed some gilt-edged chances in the first half.
"I didn't feel we really got going in the second half. We made some strange decisions. I didn't like the end part of the game."
Newcastle have now lost two of their past three Premier League home games, as many losses as in their previous 20 outings at St James' Park.
The Magpies tasted defeat against West Ham in the Premier League for only the second time in 11 outings and dropped one place to 10th in the table, four points adrift of the top four.
"It's a really difficult one to take," Newcastle defender Lewis Hall told BBC Sport. "It was a massive game for us. We'd have been two points off second if we won.
"It was a frustrating game for us. We had a lot of the ball. When you are on top, you have to find a way to put the ball in the net, which we didn't do today."
Newcastle have failed to find the net in three of their past six league games and have just 13 goals for the season – only Everton, Crystal Palace (both 10) and Southampton (nine) have fewer.
"We know we can score goals," Hall added. "This season, we've defended better than we've attacked. But last season, we attacked better than we defended.
"It's about doing both. My message to the fans is to stick with us. Everyone works so hard throughout the week."
Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario sidelined with broken ankle
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is set for a spell on the sidelines after fracturing his right ankle, the club have confirmed.
Vicario produced a couple of excellent saves to keep out Manchester City on Saturday, as Ange Postecoglou's Spurs claimed a stunning 4-0 victory over the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
However, the Italian needed treatment during the first half after colliding with Savinho, and it has now been revealed he played the final hour of the match with an ankle break.
The former Atalanta shot-stopper wrote on social media: "Sometimes football gives you its highs, and sometimes it challenges you in ways you don't expect.
"I played 60 minutes at the Etihad with a broken bone in my ankle, giving absolutely everything I had for the team.
"Unfortunately there was no way around this one. I needed surgery. I'm disappointed I won't be able to help the team for a while."
Tottenham did not put a timescale on Vicario's recovery in a statement of their own, saying: "We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario has undergone surgery for a fracture of his right ankle.
"Guglielmo will be assessed by our medical staff to determine when he can return to training. We're all behind you, Vic."
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