Bournemouth 2-2 Manchester United: Fernandes double rescues draw for underwhelming Red Devils
Bruno Fernandes equalised twice to rescue Manchester United from an unconvincing 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday, dropping them to seventh in the Premier League table.
The Portuguese came to the rescue after Bournemouth had taken a deserved lead with goals from Dominic Solanke and Justin Kluivert, and while the visitors pushed for a winner, it would have been undeserved.
United were relieved when Bournemouth were awarded a penalty in stoppage time after Ryan Christie's run was stopped by a foul, but a VAR check determined it was just outside the area.
United, who have now gone four league games without a win, are on 50 points from 32 games, trailing Newcastle United on goal difference following their 4-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur.
Erik Ten Hag's side produced another patchy performance, allowing opponents far too many chances to score, with Bournemouth having 20 to United's eight.
United remained 10 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, who are in the final guaranteed Champions League spot and risk missing out on Europe entirely.
"We have to win our games and we have dropped too many unnecessary points in the last few games," Ten Hag said.
Twelfth-placed Bournemouth created several early chances before taking the lead in the 16th minute thanks to Solanke's clinical finish.
The striker was played into space and made no mistake as he cut in to score his 17th league goal of the season, sparking speculation about an England call-up for this summer's European Championship.
"I would love to be there, everyone would love to be there, playing for your country in a big tournament," said Solanke, who trails only Ollie Watkins and Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts this season.
"I just need to keep scoring and try and get as many as I can and I can be in with a shout."
Luis Sinisterra came agonisingly close to making it 2-0, while Milos Kerkez saw his shot saved by Andre Onana as Bournemouth looked to score every time they moved forward.
Fernandes equalised when a ball bounced off a Bournemouth defender and he swivelled on the spot to blast a volley past Neto.
However, the visitors failed to learn their lesson and were defeated all too easily minutes later when Marcos Senesi's ball found Kluivert in space, who drilled a low shot past Onana.
Kerkez headed against the crossbar as United wobbled, and Bournemouth would regret their failure to kill off the game when Kobbie Mainoo's shot deflected and struck Smith's arm for a penalty.
SportsLigue