Man Utd didn't play like they were listening to ETH in 2-2 draw at Bournemouth

When Ineos sit down to decide Erik ten Hag’s fate, they won’t be too worried about the chasm between Manchester United and the Premier League’s top three. Even missing out on the Champions League might not be fatal for the Dutchman.

But when they think about days like these, days when United were outclassed by Bournemouth, well that might be a different matter.

Not once, but twice this season. Bournemouth came away from Old Trafford with a well-deserved 3-0 victory in December, and they would not have been remotely flattered by a similar winning margin here at the Vitality Stadium.

Ten Hag said his players would have to learn from that experience, but once again United didn’t play like they were listening to him. Once again, they didn’t seem to be playing to a game plan either.

Teenage defender Willy Kambwala struggled from start to finish. Over on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp said it looked like Casemiro was playing in Soccer Aid.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, look like a well-coached unit under Andoni Iraola whose only shortcoming was a failure to ram home their advantage. It has become a sideline sport to out-shoot United this season, and the Cherries managed it 20-8 here.

A more pertinent statistic, however, was that United scored with their only two efforts on goal as Bruno Fernandes twice dragged them back into the game. How often has the United skipper bailed his team out?

United were shambolic at times, particularly in the first half. Ten Hag will point to a never-ending injury crisis, but that is no excuse for playing like a bunch of strangers thrown together for the time.

A fourth game without a win means they lost more ground in the race for Champions League qualification on a day when Newcastle’s win over Tottenham