Gary Neville said he enjoyed watching Manchester United’s “entertaining” 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, while Jamie Carragher called Manchester United’s performance under manager Ruben Amorim their best.
United and Bournemouth had one of the better matches of the Premier League season so far, exchanging blows in a thrilling 4-4 draw.
It was a remarkable rollercoaster night at Old Trafford, with little of the outcome expected given the hosts’ dominant start. United had 17 shots in the first half, more than any other Premier League team in the first 45 minutes of the game this season, and should have held a bigger lead than the 2-1 scoreline.
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Free to watch: Premier League highlights of Manchester United vs. Bournemouth
However, the game ultimately ended 4-4 and United’s third successive win would have been against Bournemouth had David Brooks not had his shot twice blocked by Sene Lamence in stoppage time.
Neville said on his podcast: “It was a great game. After the Everton and West Ham games, I was really critical of the nature of the performance. I thought it was a really bland game. Against Everton we obviously defended three points against 10 men, but there was no sense of urgency, it wasn’t like you were throwing the kitchen sink at us. It was the same against West Ham, we were adrift for the majority of the game.”
“This was the complete opposite. In terms of performance and standard, I can live with it all day because they played with real intent, carried the ball forward and always played at full pace.”
“That’s what happened when United lost 3-2 and Ruben Amorim did the right thing by moving to a 4-4-2.
“Forget about the system. He did the right thing. He put the right players on the pitch and was a big threat.”
“The second half was complete chaos. After the West Ham and Everton games there were big boos, but after this game there were no big boos here. There was a sense of disappointment, but what we just saw was the fans who stayed in the stadium and applauded the team, because they can live with it.”
“If you’re a kid coming to United, my two daughters are here tonight, they’ll be happy to walk home. They won’t be happy that United didn’t win, but they’ll have seen a great game of football and that’s why you come to Old Trafford.”
“You’re here for entertainment.
“Of course, it’s understandable that you come to see your team win. You have to go win games, win trophies, win titles. You can say it’s not enough given what has happened so far, but I think it’s absolutely important at this football club to get the entertainment right, to get the performances and style right.”
“It was fun to see what we saw from those red shirts tonight.
“Defensively, we obviously have some young defenders, which is understandable given that De Ligt, Maguire and Martinez are not playing. I don’t think we’ll have a defense that keeps clean sheets.”
“Before the game, you probably think you have to score four points to win this game, but four points wasn’t enough, we needed five.”
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Ruben Amorim described the 4-4 draw with Bournemouth as a “fun game”
“It was the best I’ve ever seen Manchester United play under Amorim.”
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher talks about Monday Night Football:
“Certainly Manchester United’s first half play under Amorim was the best I’ve ever seen it, probably going back to the first game of the season against Arsenal.
“Manchester United were fantastic in the first 25 to 30 minutes. It was like Sir Alex Ferguson. Fast, attacking football, people were energetic, running forward, being aggressive, winning the ball back early. There was a lot of that.
“But clean sheets are a big problem for them. Last season they had problems at both ends of the pitch.
“Before the game I emphasized that their attacking ability has improved and we saw that again tonight. I thought Manchester United’s attacking players were great.”
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Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola talks honestly about the 4-4 draw with Manchester United
“We had a lot of young defenders tonight, but they didn’t help us. I was there too, and when young defenders make a mistake, it often goes into the back of the goal. That was the mistake tonight.”
“Even though Bournemouth should have won 4-4 in the end, Manchester United were the much better team.
“For the first time in a while, and certainly under Amorim, it felt like we were seeing what Manchester United should be.
“We just keep attacking and counter-attacking and most opponents feel like they’re being sucked into the box in front of the Stretford End and they can’t get out.”
