Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reacts after defeat to AFC Bournemouth
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reacts after defeat to AFC Bournemouth
Manchester United have set a Christmas Day record not matched since 1989 following their heavy loss to AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
The Reds dominated possession and had a whopping 23 shots against the Cherries but were left reeling as Andoni Iraola's side steamrolled them. Dean Huijsen's free header gave Bournemouth the lead on the half an hour mark.
Justin Kluivert's penalty, following a foul from Noussair Mazraoui, made it 2-0 before Antonio Semenyo put the game beyond doubt two minutes later as he fired home from close range. Boos were ringing out from the home fans at the end of the game as all the positive momentum from the victory over Manchester City last Sunday dissolved.
What is worse for United is that they have set an unwanted record that sums up their season so far. That defeat ensures that United will be in the bottom half of the Premier League table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989.
To put that into perspective, the Premier League had not been formed then and Sir Alex Ferguson was hanging on to his job by a thread. The bad news for United fans is that season saw them finish in the bottom half of the table.
While they did manage to qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup, they would finish 13th, 31 points behind champions Liverpool and 14 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. The only bright side for United is that they don't have to dwell on the defeat for long.
Amorim's men return to action on Boxing Day when they visit Wolverhampton Wanderers who returned to winning ways with a thumping 3-0 victory over Leicester City.
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