Rasmus Hojlund's stoppage-time strike salvaged a point for Manchester United as they dented 10-man AFC Bournemouth's European hopes with a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
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Hojlund turned Manuel Ugarte’s effort home from close range in the sixth minute of added time, with United making their numerical advantage count after Evanilson’s sending off.
Antoine Semenyo’s 23rd-minute goal had put the Cherries ahead before Evanilson received a red card following a VAR review in the 70th minute, having lunged in on Noussair Mazraoui.
United upped the pressure from then on with Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes going close, before finally getting their reward through Hojlund’s fourth Premier League goal of the season.
The draw means Bournemouth missed the chance to regain eighth spot and are now 10th, while Ruben Amorim’s visitors climb to 14th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +23 | 61 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
34 | +19 | 60 |
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
33 | +14 | 60 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +5 | 57 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
34 | +4 | 51 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
34 | +1 | 51 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
34 | +12 | 50 |
How the match unfolded
Bournemouth deservedly went ahead after winning the ball high up the pitch midway through the first half, with Evanilson’s neat flick powered home by Semenyo at Andre Onana’s near post.
United improved as the half went on and came close to an equaliser, but Kepa Arrizabalaga tipped Alejandro Garnacho’s chipped effort behind after confusion in the Cherries' defence.
Semenyo went close to a second two minutes into the second half, before Dango Ouattara’s clever free-kick from the right-hand side rattled a post on the hour.
But the Cherries were forced to play the final 20 minutes, plus stoppage time, without Evanilson after the Brazilian was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Mazraoui.
The striker was initially shown a yellow card, but his punishment was upgraded to a red after referee Peter Bankes was sent to the pitchside monitor.
During nine minutes of added time, United piled on the pressure as Mount saw an effort blocked by Marcos Senesi and Fernandes rippled the side-netting, but Hojlund was on hand to salvage a point on the south coast.
Sour taste for Cherries
Bournemouth have never finished higher than ninth in the Premier League, doing so under Eddie Howe in 2016/17, but they had an opportunity to climb back above Fulham into eighth – a position that could bring UEFA Conference League qualification.
The Cherries showcased their attacking intent from the off, with Ouattara’s teasing delivery narrowly evading Evanilson on the slide inside the opening three minutes, while Justin Kluivert went close from distance.
Semenyo went within inches of doubling his tally shortly after the restart, with Ouattara doing likewise from a cheeky set-piece effort.
But just as the Cherries looked to kill the game off, Evanilson was given his marching orders.
Bournemouth defended stoutly from then on but were undone by Hojlund, with his last-gasp leveller a potentially huge blow for Andoni Iraola's men.
Now a point behind Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion, they go to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal next, before taking on Aston Villa, Manchester City and Leicester City in their final three fixtures.
Hojlund the hero
Ahead of kick-off, Amorim said Hojlund was trying too hard to prove his doubters wrong, and the Dane stepped up to give the Red Devils a confidence boost ahead of their UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against Athletic Bilbao.
United did have their moments early in the first half, with Kobbie Mainoo forcing a smart stop from Kepa, while they also felt Tyler Adams could have been shown a red card following a strong tackle on Garnacho, with the incident checked and cleared by the VAR.
The visitors were caught napping from the free-kick that followed that foul, with their intent on playing out from the back punished by Bournemouth’s high press.
Patrick Dorgu was dispossessed by Adam Smith and Semenyo finished mere moments later.
Bournemouth continued to boss proceedings after the break, before Evanilson's red card turned the tide.
Club reports
Bournemouth report | United report
What the managers said
Andoni Iraola: "We are in a worse position than the start of the weekend but we still have four games to play. Difficult games but we are in the fight. It is difficult to look in a positive way at the moment. We need a few hours."
Ruben Amorim: "We could do better, We created chances but we need to do better near the box. It is small things. We have to understand the foot that is in play, crossing, one v ones. We need to understand the game in that way.
"Today we pushed our opponent, especially after the sending off. We had the chances but again we didn't score."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Antoine Semenyo has scored in consecutive home matches in the Premier League for the first time, with his goal this afternoon his 10th overall at Vitality Stadium for the Cherries in the competition.
Andoni Iraola is unbeaten in all four of his Premier League meetings with Manchester United (W2 D2), with the Red Devils becoming the fifth different team that the Spaniard has faced over four times and not lost against.
Hojlund’s goal (95:36) is Manchester United’s latest equaliser away from home in the Premier League on record since 2006/07.
