Manchester United were thumped 1-0 by Bournemouth following Kings first half strike.
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| Josh King turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka and lashed home a brilliant first half goal to give Bournemouth victory. |
United came to the Vitality Stadium looking for a fourth successive win, but left beaten by a team that failed to score in all of October.
United could only muster a handful of half chances in a performance bereft of creativity in the final third.
Bournemouth came close to making it 2-0 but Harry Wilson saw his left foot shot tipped wide by David de Gea.
After a mini-run of results, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United are back to losing limply.
Bournemouth’s winner was special. Joshua King had Aaron Wan-Bissaka on his back then duly put the defender in his pocket, flicked the ball over his head, swivelled and volleyed.
Joshua King turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka and fired home to give Bournemouth a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Joshua King turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka and fired home to give Bournemouth a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
King came through Man United's academy and made two appearances for the club before leaving Old Trafford in 2013.
Solskjaer showed his appreciation afterwards, too, labelling it a ‘moment of magic’.
United's haul of 13 points from 11 games is their lowest at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1986-87 – the season Sir Alex Ferguson took over from Ron Atkinson in November.
Solskjaer knows this is not good enough. ‘Games like this you need to win if you want to challenge for the top four,’ he said. ‘We’re disappointed. We need a response.
‘We’ve had a good period going into this game. Now we’ve got to react to a defeat. I’m sure we will.’
United, buoyed by recent results, began the game on top. Fred mistimed a half-volley, before Daniel James skimmed the woodwork with a rasping drive from 20 yards.
James made Bournemouth left back Diego Rico think he was taking part in a bleep test, with the United man relentlessly running up and down the wing. Marcus Rashford looked slick, too.
Yet the goal never followed. United had the chances but could not score, and that would come back to haunt them. As Solskjaer said afterwards: ‘Could’ve, should’ve. That’s football.’
After half an hour, Anthony Martial drove into the box and was bundled over, with Jefferson Lerma having barged into the French forward. United’s players screamed for a penalty.
Lerma let Martial know what he thought of his theatrics, yelling at the 23-year-old while he lay on his back and causing a scuffle to break out between both sides.
Lerma went into the book for instigating the melee, and Fred joined him. Referee Chris Kavanagh was in no mood for gifting spot-kicks – or using his pitch-side monitor, as per.
Before the break, Bournemouth struck, ending a Premier League goal drought that had lasted 358 minutes, three games and 50 shots. What a strike it was, too.
Adam Smith crossed and King chested the ball inside the area. At first, you thought, ‘Why haven’t you gone for the overhead kick? Why did you let it bounce?’ This is why.
King, with Wan-Bissaka for company, flicked the ball over his marker, turned and beat David De Gea.
That goal meant United had equalled their Premier League record of 11 consecutive away matches without a clean sheet, last set between August 2002 and January 2003.
The good news? Back in 2002-03, they were crowned champions of England. The bad news is they currently sit midtable and were lacking in inspiration in the second half.
With 15 minutes to go, United were struggling to open up the Bournemouth defence. They passed from left to right, then back the other way. Their frustration was perhaps summed up best by the sight of Fred’s patience snapping and going for goal, only for the midfielder to find Row Z.
Mason Greenwood was introduced as a final throw of the dice. With his first touch, the 18-year-old met a deep cross and hit the woodwork from close range. Time was running out.
A couple of hit and hopes followed, but none truly troubled Howe’s solid Bournemouth side.
United’s supporters, on a 500-mile round trip, headed home from a miserable afternoon with nothing, just as they did from Newcastle a month ago. The winning streak was nice while it lasted.
United equalled their Premier League record of 11 consecutive away matches without a clean sheet on Saturday
MATCH FACTS:
Bournemouth (4-4-2): Ramsdale 7.5; Smith 7, S Cook 7.5, Ake 7.5, Rico 7; Fraser 7, Lerma 7, Billing 7, H Wilson 7.5 (L Cook 86); C Wilson 7.5, King 8
Subs (not used): Boruc, Francis, Solanke, Danjuma, Kelly, Mepham
Scorers: King (45)
Booked: Lerma, Cook, Fraser, Wilson
Manager: Eddie Howe 7
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 5 (Williams 81), Lindelof 5, Maguire 5, Young 5; McTominay 5, Fred 5.5; James 6 (Greenwood 80), Pereira 5 (Lingard 68, 6), Rashford 6; Martial 5
Subs (not used): Romero, Mata, Rojo, Garner
Scorers: NONE
Booked: Fred, Young, Lindelof
Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 5
Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6
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