For a second season in a row, Bournemouth came away from Old Trafford with three points scoring three goals in the process, in what turned out to be a convincing 3-0 win on a windy afternoon in the North West.
A game which started slow, with neither team able to take control, it was young Spanish defender Dean Huijsen who opened the scoring on 29 minutes from a free kick, glancing a header gently into the back of net beyond the onlooking André Onana.
Come the second half, the hosts continued to struggle to create chances and take them when they had the opportunity, which proved costly when just after the hour the visitors struck twice within two minutes.
The second goal of the game came from a Justin Kluivert penalty on 61 minutes and just two minutes later Antoine Semenyo completed the scoring sweeping home the ball unmarked in the middle of the box after being found by teammate Dango Ouattara.
The victory lifts Bournemouth up to fifth in the Premier League, six points ahead of their Sunday afternoon hosts down in thirteenth.
Iraola delighted with commanding victory
Speaking to journalists after the game, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola expressed his delight after his side won 3-0 over Manchester United at Old Trafford, mentioning that the result is a testament to his team’s maturity and resilience.
That being said, he was quick to emphasise that the match was more challenging than the scoreline suggested.
“It is an important win for us. We won 3-0, but it was more difficult than it looks when you see 3-0,” Iraola said.
“I think we have been quite solid. It was a mature performance.”
Iraola praised his players for their clinical edge, highlighting the importance of their improvement in key moments.
“I am happy that we were more clinical today. We scored from a set play. I think it was a solid performance, not amazing but it was solid. We kept playing the same way and pushing until the end.”
The Cherries faced a stern test late in the first half as United ramped up the pressure, but the visitors stood firm.
“The key moment was the end of the first half where we had five, ten minutes against the wind.”
“They had these corners, a free kick from Bruno, and I remember a couple of shots from the outside where we were suffering a little bit,” Iraola admitted.
“But after half-time, we regrouped, and we started much stronger and in a better way.”
Attacking players key to success
Iraola was full of praise for the individual brilliance of his attacking players this afternoon, who were instrumental in sealing the spectacular victory.
“At the end, it is an amazing play from Justin, amazing play from Dango, later for the other goal, and for me, it is the players that make a difference,” he said.
“In this case, Dango, Justin, Antoine with the finish—they’ve given us the goals in a much more solid second half.”
Despite the commanding scoreline, however, Iraola did acknowledge the ever-present threat posed by Manchester United,which could have threatened their impressive result.
“Even when we were 3-0, you look at the still to play a lot of minutes and you are not safe, you do not feel safe, because we know the threats that they have.”
“In the second half, they had Højlund, Garnacho, Amad, Bruno arriving from behind. They have threats, and you do not want them to score just in case.”
For Iraola, the victory was a perfect blend of grit, focus, and decisiveness—serving as a real benchmark for the professionalism within the squad for the rest of the season.
Kepa commanding between the sticks
With United having had a total of ten shots throughout the game, it was certainly not a quiet game for the Basque ‘keeper, who made important saves from Amad Diallo, Rasmus Højlund, and Bruno Fernandes to keep his side in the game and the clean sheet safe.
His fellow countryman and manager, Iraola, heaped high praise on his performance, mentioning its importance in achieving such a result.
“I think especially Kepa's performance has helped us to win like this.”
"Kepa's performances have helped us this year and he has been very good in possession and with the different positions.
“I think he is confident and, in a very young defensive line, we need players with experience.”
With the Cherries sitting pretty just outside the top four in fifth, Iraola ended the post-match interview commenting on his side’s impressive Premier League, season so far, saying, "I value the 28 points. I think the amount of points we have is good. At Christmas, it is a good amount."
