09 December 2023 , 18:18
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Bruno Fernandes appeared to suggest some of his Manchester United colleagues thought Bournemouth would give them an easy ride.
United hosted the Cherries, who came into the Old Trafford clash 16th in the Premier League table. Erik ten Hag’s side meanwhile, could have gone level on points with champions Manchester City with a second win in four days.
However, they were humiliated in front of their own fans as goals from Dominik Solanke, Phillip Billing and Marco Senesi condemned them to an embarrassing 3-0 reversal. It’s United’s 11th defeat of the season and already the third time they have lost by that scoreline at home.
It was all a far cry from the positive performance and result in midweek vs Chelsea, with the Red Devils booed off by their own supporters. United skipper Fernandes was unable to motivate his team-mates, who he correctly suggested were way, way off the pace. "We lacked many things and that's why we don't get the result today,” he explained.
Perhaps more concerningly was Fernandes’ admission that some within the dressing room may have been expecting a more routine afternoon at the office. He added: "Everything was lower than the levels in the game before and that's why when you play teams like Bournemouth, who are really aggressive and on the front foot, they press you, and you think it's going to be easy, you get these kinds of results.
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Bruno Fernandes pulled no punches with his verdict on Man Utd's defeat to Bournemouth (Getty Images)"Everything was underperforming. Creativity, movement and arriving with bodies into the box. Most of the time we arrived with one or two players, but in the last game we had more getting in the box to score a goal.
"Today, it was, as I said, underperforming. We just lack consistency and that's a big part of football. It's really important to be consistent every game and we're not being."
On an individual level, it was a similarly miserable afternoon for Fernandes, with a late booking for dissent ensuring he will miss next weekend at Liverpool. “ Bruno Fernandes ranting and frothing at the mouth but the referee Peter Bankes not taking any nonsense, that's the way it should be,” Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You can understand the frustration but maybe he should be angry at himself. Maybe he is angry at himself because some of his passing in the second half has been woeful.”
Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves told Premier League Productions: “Listen to the boos, look at all the open seats. "The fans have spoken. The performance was embarrassing and it has been like that all season.