Bournemouth – Manchester United: Cherries Carve Out a Stalemate from Another Dramatic Duel (2-2)

Three months after an eight-goal thriller at Old Trafford, this showdown produced another even affair full of drama. But while a stylistic battle meshed to create chaos in the reverse fixture, the officials were front and center of the drama on the south coast in this stalemate.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Manchester United have evidently enjoyed a revival of fortunes through a change of leadership. Fueled by £200 million of offensive reinforcements in the summer, Ruben Amorim oversaw an outfit with a strong forward thrust that lacked the defensive solidity to stabilize results. Since the middle of January, Michael Carrick has taken charge, commanding big results against the Big Six and steering the side into the top three of the Premier League with wins against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Bournemouth can break down their campaign into three distinct phases. Their mass exodus of talent in the summer did not stall the progression under Andoni Iraola immediately as the side sat in the top two of the table by the end of October. But a torrid 11 game winless streak from November until the beginning of the new year dragged the group out of European contention. They are back in the mix with a 10 . . .