Manchester United player ratings vs Bournemouth

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke before the game about the threat that Bournemouth can pose and he was proved right just 15 minutes in, when the visitors took a surprise lead. Junior Stanislas picked up a loose ball in the corner of the United box, nutmegged Harry Maguire and whipped it inside David de Gea’s near post.

But the home side were dominating the play and made it count after half an hour, when the impressive Mason Greenwood smashed the ball past Aaron Ramsdale and Marcus Rashford coolly despatched a penalty soon after. United appeared to have settled it on the stroke of half-time, when Anthony Martial curled home a brilliant effort from the edge of the box to give his side a 3-1 lead.

United looked set for a comfortable win but Eric Bailly, only on as a half-time substitute, gave away a penalty within two minutes of the restart which Josh King scored against his former club. Bournemouth had the ball in the net again within minutes, but Arnaut Danjuma’s strike was ruled out for offside.

The game swung back in Manchester United’s favour after 54 minutes, when Greenwood added his second, a sweetly-struck finish with his weaker right foot this time. Bruno Fernandes was the game’s most impressive player throughout and the Portuguese play-maker made it five on the hour-mark with a sparkling free-kick.

The pace slowed slightly in the final 30 minutes, but United remained in control with a couple of near misses and some good goalkeeping from Ramsdale keeping the score-line respectable. Another good win for United, who look to be gathering momentum under Solskjaer.

Manchester United player ratings

David de Gea – Was rarely called upon with United so dominant in possession, but did not cover himself in glory in the first half. Was beaten at his near post for Bournemouth’s opener and his distribution was erratic throughout. 5/10

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – With his side’s attacking talents running riot, he had little impact offensively but covered a lot of ground down the right flank. Impressive defensively when called upon. 7/10

Victor Lindelof – Looked the more assured of United’s centre-halves in his 45 minutes on the pitch, but was withdrawn at half-time for the more pacey Bailly. 6/10

Harry Maguire – Was beaten far too easily for Stanislas’ opener and was caught out of position at times for Bournemouth breaks. Probably not helped by the change of partner at half-time. 5/10

Luke Shaw – Looked eager to get involved in the attacks and his positioning allowed Rashford to drift inside from the left. A solid performance from a player on the periphery. 6/10

Paul Pogba – Unusually subdued performance from the Frenchman, but his passing range and confidence on the ball kept the team ticking over throughout. 7/10

Nemanja Matic – Has been one of United’s most consistent performers since the restart and was an effective anchor in the midfield again, before being replaced midway through the second-half to save his legs. 6/10

Mason Greenwood – Another performance of real quality from the 18-year-old, who now looks like a real fixture in the side. Two expertly-taken goals, one with each foot, take his Premier League tally to eight for the season. 8/10

Bruno Fernandes – Was given the freedom to float between United’s front three and was at his inspirational best, constantly influencing the game. Picked up intelligent positions throughout to release United’s forward players and fired home an excellent free-kick to settle the game. 8/10

Marcus Rashford – Will be glad for an early penalty to break his post-restart goal drought and looked to be returning to form. Did not get as much of the ball as he would like but caused problems with intelligent running. 7/10

Anthony Martial – His suitability as Manchester United’s starting striker has sometimes been in question, but he followed up his impressive form with a good all-round performance, marked by a 20-yard strike of real quality. 8/10

Substitutes

Eric Bailly – Had an eventful start to his substitute appearance when he gave away a penalty for an unfortunate handball call, but grew into the game and helped stifle Bournemouth’s counter-attacking threat. 6/10

Fred – Replacing Matic, the Brazilian brought a bit more energy to the holding role and looked to get forward as well. 7/10

Daniel James – Eager to impress having fallen below Greenwood in the pecking order, the Welshman looked a threat when running with the ball. 6/10

Juan Mata – Rarely involved in his 10-minute cameo. N/A

Odion Ighalo – Only had one clear sight of goal, which bounced just wide. N/A