At 15:30 Lithuanian time in the new English Premier League season, the eighth match of the first round took place.
At the "Dean Court" fortress, the home team supported by their fans, Bournemouth, clashed weapons with the record-breaking Manchester United this summer. Jose Mourinho's debut as Man Utd coach did not disappoint - three goals from attacking players secured a 1-3 victory.
The start of the match was very sluggish. The ball moved in the middle of the field for the first fifteen minutes and both goalkeepers had absolutely no work to do as neither team made a shot on goal.
However, looking at the overall picture, it was clear that the hosts looked slightly better. Unlike Man Utd, they executed more accurate passes and better attacks. On the other hand, United struggled to approach the opponents' penalty area, and the ball barely reached Zlatan Ibrahimovic, just like in the Community Shield final.
Despite a weak start, there was a better period. Anthony Martial took the first shot at the Bournemouth goal, and later a beautiful attack was made on the right side, with Wayne Rooney finishing the ball into the net after a pass from Antonio Valencia.
After this period, the match returned to a stalemate, and the ball was back in the middle of the field. However, towards the end of the half, the first goal came. United opened the scoring with Juan Mata, who took advantage of a double mistake by Bournemouth defender Steve Cook. Initially, the defender made a weak pass to goalkeeper Artur Boruc, but the Spaniard failed to stop the Polish player. Immediately after this incident, S. Cook made an even bigger mistake, giving the ball back to Mata who only had to send the ball into the empty net.
The second half started much more actively. In the 51st minute, after a great technical pass from Z. Ibrahimovic, W. Rooney faced the goalkeeper, but A. Boruc won that duel.
A few minutes later, the Englishman played a beautiful combination again, but the United captain fell in the penalty area hoping for a penalty, which was not given.
Man Utd continued to increase the pressure, which paid off. In the 59th minute, Wayne Rooney, who had been heavily criticized recently, scored. Anthony Martial's shot turned into a great pass, as the ball bounced off the ground towards Rooney's head, who scored a great goal against A. Boruc.
Five minutes later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic also had his say. The Swede took a long shot low, and the ball found the corner of the net leaving no chance for the home team's goalkeeper.
However, the positive mood was quickly disrupted by Bournemouth defender Adam Smith. In the 69th minute, he received a pass in the penalty area, controlled the ball, and took a strong and flawless shot, leaving no chance for David De Gea.
Throughout the remainder of the match, Bournemouth players tried to activate their game, but United's defense was solid. However, in the final moments of the match, the hosts turned up the heat. Nevertheless, with the efforts of David De Gea and the team, Manchester United managed to defend their lead. The Red Devils did not rush into attacking, so the match referee announced the first Manchester United victory of the season.
Result:
Bournemouth 1 - 3 Man Utd
40' [0 - 1] J. Mata
59' [0 - 2] W. Rooney
64' [0 - 3] Z. Ibrahimovic
69' [1 - 3] B. Smith
League Table:
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