Erik ten haag
Cherries struggled to deal with their guests for most of the first period, with ten Hag’s side hemming the hosts inside their own half for the opening half hour. The Red Devils managed to convert their dominance into an early goal, Casemiro’s acrobatic finish in the ninth minute eventually proving to be the difference.
Despite their control of possession, United struggled to create clear-cut chances, whilst Cherries themselves failed to truly trouble David De Gea in the Red Devils’ goal, with substitute Kieffer Moore’s gilt-edged opportunity late on their most dangerous of the afternoon.
After the game,
Erik ten Hag said: “We go from game to game and (after Bournemouth) we are happy I think. A great performance, a good team performance. The first 25 minutes was really good, it was a brilliant performance from our team. Building up, staying compact, the counter press. A lot of things were magnificent. I hope we can stay longer at such levels and that is what we have to work for.”
Whilst Cherries defender Marcos Senesi almost intercepted Christian Eriksen’s assist for Casemiro’s opener, the goal itself included a moment of individual brilliance as the Brazilian swiveled and fired past his compatriot Neto with a scissor kick.
Erik ten Hag said: “It was great,” ten Hag restarted when discussing the goal. I think the whole midfield played brilliantly. We’re coaching a lot of movement behind and now it’s coming out of the third line. It’s a great run from Casemiro and great touch from Christian Eriksen. And the finish is brilliant, of course it was.”
Manchester United require one point from their final two games to secure a top-four finish, and with it, a place in next season’s Champions League.
They host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Thursday evening, before also welcoming Fulham to the Theatre of Dreams on the final day, next Sunday.
