Report and highlights as Rashford's second goal of the season seals back-to-back United wins for first time since September
Saturday 3 November 2018 21:47, UK
Marcus Rashford scored a stoppage-time winner as Manchester United came from behind to snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The England international rifled home from close range two minutes into time added on as a remarkable late turnaround saw United overcame a resilient Bournemouth defensive display.
Bournemouth flew out of the traps and took a deserved lead on 11 minutes thanks to Callum Wilson's sixth goal of the season, but Anthony Martial's fifth goal in five hauled a lacklustre United level against the run of play on 35 minutes.
United laid siege to the Bournemouth goal in the second half but the resolute Cherries, typified by two incredible goal-saving blocks from Nathan Ake and David Brooks, looked to have secured Eddie Howe's men a point.
But Rashford struck in the closing stages to secure a victory that sees United move into seventh in the Premier League.
United were as awful as Bournemouth were brilliant in the opening half an hour. Unable to cope with the pace and power of the hosts, United were fortunate not to concede inside four minutes as Ryan Fraser fired a low effort straight at David de Gea, after being released by Wilson.
Brooks and Adam Smith linked up in the United area to set up Junior Stanislas on 11 minutes. He saw a shot deflect behind off Luke Shaw, but Bournemouth were not to be denied much longer.
After United had cleared the resulting corner, a brilliant through pass from Lewis Cook played Stanislas in behind the advanced Shaw and he crossed for Wilson to slot home.
The United goal lived an enchanted life as Bournemouth pushed for a deserved second. The lively Brooks glanced a header onto the roof of the net before De Gea was called into action to cut out Stanislas' curling strike on 23 minutes.
But United's first purposeful attack triggered a change in momentum. Martial darted in off the left flank on 33 minutes, cut the ball back to Fred and, although the Brazilian's effort was blocked by Ake, the visitors finally found a foothold.
The equaliser came just two minutes later as Ashley Young threaded Alexis Sanchez in behind the Bournemouth defence and his cutback was clinically dispatched by Martial.
Bournemouth re-emerged from the interval on the front foot as Brooks' deft back-heel drew a save from De Gea on 50 minutes, but United quickly grabbed the initiative in a dominant second-half display.
Asmir Begovic bailed Bournemouth out on three occasions in quick succession: preventing Martial from latching onto a lofted Juan Mata pass, thwarting Shaw's near-post drive and tipping a Sanchez header over the bar as United piled on the pressure before the hour.
Bournemouth's rearguard action reached new heights on 64 minutes, with Ake and Brooks brilliantly preventing Rashford and Paul Pogba from converting rebounds after Young struck the angle of post and bar with a sumptuous free-kick.
But United's relentless pressure finally told as Pogba's cross found Rashford and he smashed the ball home two minutes into injury time, leaving Bournemouth with no time to respond.
The Bournemouth centre-back was an absolute colossus at the back as Bournemouth came within seconds of securing a credible point. Martial and Sanchez got no change out of the Dutchman in the first half, laying the foundation upon which the hosts dominated. United turned the screw in the second period and would have won by a healthier margin had it not been for Ake's intervention, particularly his goal-line block to deny Rashford.
Eddie Howe: "It was a tough one for us. A lot of aspects of our play were very good, especially in that opening period. The discussion at half-time was of course that we weren't winning, but deserved to be winning by more than one. They made some good substitutions and the game was different."
Jose Mourinho: "It was a first half that could, should be, game over, 5-2, 6-2 easily, and in the second half until we scored I had the feeling we were a very unlucky team because we should score three, four, five goals. We were really poor, defensively awful."
Bournemouth make the trip to Newcastle for their last game before the international break at 3pm next Saturday.
United, meanwhile, head to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday before travelling to across Manchester for the derby against City on Renault Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
