Premier League 2019-20: 3 reasons behind Manchester United's 0-1 defeat against Bournemouth

2. Dour and effective defending by Bournemouth

Steve Cook

Bournemouth looked desperate to earn at least a point from the very beginning of the match, and did not allow United much free space in the middle third. They defended deep and thwarted many moves by United with timely interceptions and interventions.

Centre-back Steve Cook was brilliant yesterday, and stopped many United moves with tough tackles and robust challenges. He saw a yellow card because of a harsh tackle, but ultimately succeeded in his objective as United failed to find the net.

However, it must also be mentioned that United could not make enough penetrations into the penalty box in the first half. The likes of Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira tried to test the Bournemouth goalkeeper from outside the penalty box, which wasn't good enough.

The Bournemouth goalie made some crucial saves, and their defenders put their bodies on the line line in order to block the shots by United. The home team’s dour and brave defending did prevented United from opening the floodgates.