Man Utd vs Bournemouth 4-4: High tempo and goals galore at Old Trafford

Bournemouth travelled to Old Trafford for an intense game against Manchester United, where both sides walked away with a point each. Read on as Sports News Blitz writer and Manchester United fan Robert Bore reflects on the Monday [December 15] night action.

Acrophobia is the fear of heights. The dread of high places. An intense and irrational fear that causes anxiety or panic.

Welcome to the Manchester Acrophobes.

For the third home game in a row, the Red Devils decided they didn't fancy climbing the table tonight, like a stubborn Dachshund refusing to go out for a p*ss in the cold.

The sweating, rapid heart rate and feelings of being out of control returned - and that was just me.

It could all have been so different.

A fast start with familiar warning signs

United started sharply, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha both having shots blocked inside the first couple of minutes, with Tyler Adams being subbed off after coming off second-best from the Brazilian's effort.

Mason Mount didn't connect properly but still forced a save from Djorde Petrovic, and there were more blocks before Casemiro was a little too ambitious with an effort from range.

The Reds looked in the mood.

It was a far cry from the tepid starts against Everton and West Ham that proved so costly.

But Bournemouth had a threat with the dangerous Antoine Semenyo starting a counter that needed Luke Shaw to snuff out as Leny Yoro, back in the starting line-up for Noussair Mazraoui, was caught ball-watching instead of tracking the runner.

Amad strikes first as United turn up the heat

When United went ahead in the 13th minute, it wasn't a surprise.

It started with Amad on the right after he came central to Casemiro, who in turn spread out left for my friend Diogo Dalot.

Dalot channelled his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo with a needless double stepover, but he did deliver a beauty of a cross into the danger zone for Cunha, who hung in the air like Michael Jordan.

In truth, the former Wolves man probably missed the ball, but the keeper had spread himself like cheap margarine, confused by the Brazilian's jump, and as the ball popped up off him, Amad was there to nod home from a good two-and-a-half inches out.  

Cunha had more time than he thought on the edge of the box as they went again, but curled a yard wide while Amad continued to torment his marker and it was good. It was really good.

And United kept coming. A bit like that bit in Lord of the Rings when one of the hobbits drops that bucket down the well and the Orcs or Goblins or whatever they were come.    

Dalot did well (again!) to find Mbuemo in the box, but he could only poke at the ball, and the keeper saved easily.  

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 Bournemouth threaten as United miss the killer blow

There was another warning, mind you. Justin Kluivert swung over a delicious cross for the onrushing Marcus Tavernier, who rattled through the Reds' defence like a steam train and got his head on the ball, but Senne Lammens managed to block.

Whether he knew too much about it is another story, but the ball ended up dead back off Tavernier.

Evanilson fired wide as the Cherries looked like they were settling down a bit. United needed a spark again.

Cunha and Amad nearly provided it, the former springing the Ivorian clear down the right, and he danced his way goalwards and looked to have done everything right.

However, his shot was blocked at the last by substitute Alex Scott with a wonderful piece of defensive work on the slide.

Calamity strikes as Semenyo levels it

Cunha was at it again, this time almost turning provider with a cross to a stretching Mbuemo that was begging to be dispatched, but the bald one could only fire over on the stretch.  

United's front men were really putting on a show, linking up brilliantly, breaking well with pace, one-touch. The loss of Amad and Mbuemo to the African Cup of Nations doesn't bear thinking about.

But wait, wait, wait, someone pressed United's calamity button again. This time it was Luke Shaw.

The Englishman should have done better, poor first touch from Mount's short pass out on the touchline and then outmuscled before Semenyo set off for goal.

Ayden Heaven backtracked a bit too much instead of engaging, and Semenyo needed no invitation, placing the ball across Lammens and into the far corner for his seventh goal of the season.

I sighed. Not too loud, but audible to the dog, who whined back. Maybe he needed that wee.

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Casemiro restores the lead before the break

Semenyo and Dalot clashed after the United man leaned naughtily into his foe while he was in the air, and he took obvious exception and got a tiny bit handsy.

VAR had a look. The pair were given yellow cards.

Dalot made up for it with a last-gasp tackle at the end of the half, and Tavernier's shot clipped off Mbuemo's heel as Lammens got down well to push the ball away for a corner.

United's dominance seemed a while ago now.

I was dusting the calamity button off again just in case, when United went up the other end.

Casemiro thought he'd headed the hosts in front with a glancer that was blocked for a corner.

But he made no mistake when he met Fernandes' cross from the set piece at the far post and nodded downwards, Petrovic unable to deal with the bounce, and Amorim's men went into the break deservedly ahead.

I was optimistic again. It was a good 15 minutes.

A nightmare restart turns the game on its head

The 16th minute wasn't so good.

My old pal Dalot lay prone on the deck, like he'd been floored by Mike Tyson.

While he tried to earn his Equity card, Tavernier laced a ball through the United line into Evanilson, who had far too much space and his first touch was weighted perfectly into his stride before he swept it into the far corner.    

The calamity bulb was still warm to the touch when the Cherries inexplicably went ahead.

Tavernier broke, racing through the United midfield, where Casemiro took one for the team before his opponent could get his shot off.

Not that it mattered, Tavernier simply placed the ball down and rattled the free-kick past Lammens.

I was sure someone had sacrificed a chicken somewhere?

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Amorim rolls the dice as United chase the game

Amorim looked to his bench. Cometh the hour, cometh the Mainoo. Kobbie, to be exact.

The chase was on, and United upped the tempo.

Cunha's dodgy cross pushed onto the crossbar and away for a corner, which almost brought the equaliser, but it came back to Petrovic off his own man.

Amorim rolled the dice again, Lisandro Martinez and Benjamin Sesko on for Mount and Yoro.

They should have levelled immediately after when Cunha's shot was blocked by Scott, and Mbuemo slashed the loose ball over the top, and we were into the last 20 minutes.

Fernandes leads the fightback and United surge ahead

Cunha let fly from range, only for the keeper to parry and United were given a free-kick 20 yards out for handball after it was recycled.

Fernandes lined it up and took a deep breath, as did most of the stadium, but they needn't fear as their skipper curled it into the top corner. The stadium erupted.

So did their side.

Barely two minutes later, United were ahead. There was another eruption. Even the dog approved.  

Cunha started and finished it, nodding into Mbuemo, and United were off, Sesko crossing for Amad spare at the back.

But the ball nicked a defender and fell into Cunha's path as he had continued his press, and he gobbled up the opportunity. Surely, the points secured and fifth place were in the bag.  

Late collapse as Bournemouth snatch a point

But there was a trickle of blood from the Manchester nose, and the calamity button whirred. Bournemouth had gone more than half an hour without a shot. Their next one in the 84th minute would be telling.

I'm not saying it was a cheap turnover from United's throw-in on the halfway line, but if it were a suit it would have been one of those nylon ones that would likely burst into flames under mild sunlight - Álex Jiménez providing the final ball for Junior Kroupi to make it 4-4.

The board went up for eight minutes of added time, which received a roar almost as loud as Cunha's goal.

Cunha broke again with a nice bit of skill, but Fernandes, rare for him, flashed his cross across the box with a little bit too much pace, and the chance was gone.

Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu completed Amorim's subs for the night, and time was now running short.  

But it was the visitors who almost won it, David Brooks' glancing header saved well by Lammens' feet when a goal looked inevitable.

United wasted a half chance, but it was Bournemouth again who should have nicked it, Lammens saving from Brooks again before the end.

It was all a bit surreal. The full-time whistle was greeted with silence from the majority of those inside as the home side failed to take their chance, fluffing their lines yet again.

But this did feel a little bit different.

At times they looked superb, that frontline a constant danger, silver service time and again by their Portuguese head waiter, Bruno.

But at the back, oh man, how Amorim is missing his big hitters, particularly Matthijs de Ligt.

It felt a little bit like the old United, though.

Albeit only at one end of the pitch and certainly not at the dizzying top of the table.

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