Man United fail to climb into top four after all too familiar display
Published:
Manchester United missed out on a great chance to climb above both Liverpool and Arsenal and into fourth place in the Premier League, after Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Despite having more possession, more shots, more corners and forcing more saves, the hosts were frustrated by the Cherries in today’s early kick-off.
That means the Gunners could potentially pull four points clear of the Red Devils with victory over Liverpool this evening, while a win for the Reds at Anfield would create a gap between themselves and Jose Mourinho’s men.
Marcos Rojo put the home side ahead in the first-half after a series of big chances had been squandered by the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba.
But the visitors pulled one back through a Joshua King penalty just before half-time.
There was more action to come though prior to the interval, as Andrew Surman was given his marching orders after receiving two yellow cards.
That meant United could run riot in the second half, and plenty had backed them to win comfortably in-play.
But thanks to an in-form Artur Boruc between the sticks – who also managed to save an Ibrahimovic penalty – the Cherries nicked an unlikely point.
It also put an end to a run of four straight defeats for Eddie Howe’s side, leaving them five points ahead of the drop zone.
Where this leaves United in terms of a Champions League place come the end of the season remains to be seen. But just two wins from their last six outings in the Premier League suggests fans will have to wait for at least another year before they see their side in Europe’s elite competition.
Granted, their unbeaten run in the league now stretches to 17 games – but that counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things if the Red Devils can’t turn these draws into wins.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
