Man Utd v Bournemouth preview: Red Devils look to move into third
That victory was their fifth in a row across all competitions for the Red Devils, who leapfrogged a sluggish Tottenham into the top four as a result.
Manager Erik ten Hag will now attempt to guide United to six straight wins for the first time since January 2019, and welcoming Bournemouth to Old Trafford appears to give them a great chance of doing just that, having never lost a home H2H meeting (W8, D1). The Red Devils’ home has become a real fortress of late too, with United unbeaten in their last eight home games (W7, D1), while conceding in just one of those matches.
The festive period has proved anything but merry for Bournemouth, who have lost all three matches since the restart without scoring a goal. That miserable run has coincided not only with new ownership but also the permanent appointment of Gary O’Neil as head coach, with the new boss describing their latest performance in a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace as the “worst I’ve seen” since taking over.
The Cherries’ purple patch after O’Neil’s arrival now seems a distant memory, with just a three-point gap separating Bournemouth from the relegation zone at the start of the new year. Heading north is unlikely to raise spirits in the squad after the newly-promoted outfit have lost on their travels to United’s rivals Manchester City, Liverpool and Leeds already this term, conceding an astonishing 17 goals along the way.
Players to watch: Man United playmaker Bruno Fernandes assisted in their victory over Wolves, and also directly contributed to three goals in his only personal H2H meeting with Bournemouth (G1, A2). The Cherries may well turn to Dominic Solanke for inspiration, as all three of his PL goals this term have been recorded on the road.
Hot stat: Man United are yet to concede a PL goal this season when Casemiro and Raphaël Varane have been on the pitch together - a record now spanning greater than 500 minutes of play.
