Manchester United bounced back from their derby defeat as they edged Bournemouth 1-0 in trying conditions at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
First Half
The hosts controlled much of the ball during the first half, yet the Bournemouth defence stood firm without much trouble in the early minutes.
The crowd saw some action only in the 21st minute when Charlie Daniels pushed forward and unleashed a low shot from 19 yards that David De Gea managed to parry away.
Shortly after, De Gea was again called into action when Dan Gosling angled an effort from inside the box, which the keeper smartly saved.
Finally, United broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, with Martial creating the opportunity from the left. His pass to Mata set up Lukaku, who headed powerfully into the top-right corner.
De Gea was tested once more by a deflected Junior Stanislas shot, and later saw Simon Francis miss the target following a corner by Lukaku.
Just before the break, Ryan Fraser’s narrow-angle shot was pushed away by De Gea, keeping the scoreline intact heading into halftime.
Second Half
Bournemouth didn’t back down, as Fraser tried his luck again at goal after 10 minutes into the second half.
Meanwhile, Martial missed a prime chance to double United’s lead at the hour mark after Lukaku’s shot took a fortunate deflection to him, but his finish was off target.
Marcus Rashford came on and nearly scored a stunning goal in the 72nd minute, his curling strike crashing off the underside of the crossbar.
The visitors ended the match on the front foot, with Jermain Defoe and Nathan Ake coming close, but De Gea stayed resolute to secure a clean sheet.
Full Time: Manchester United 1 – 0 Bournemouth
