Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday, 25 October. Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson found the back of the net as the Red Devils succumbed to their sixth defeat in 12 games across competitions this season.
Michael Carrick made four changes to the team that endured a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of Como in midweek in the Champions League. Leny Yoro replaced Matthijs de Ligt at the back, partnering Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence.
Diogo Dalot retained his place at right-back, but Ayden Heaven was stationed at left-back, replacing Noussair Mazraoui. In midfield, Carlos Baleba was handed his Premier League debut, starting alongside Andrey Santos.
Youri Tielemans was pushed into the No. 10 role, with Bruno Fernandes dropping down to the bench. Mason Mount retained his position in attack, alongside Bryan Mbeumo, who operated in the No. 9 role, but Amad replaced Matheus Cunha.
United were torn apart by Bournemouth
United had a slow start to the game as Bournemouth threatened to score on multiple occasions. They eventually got their breakthrough in the 38th minute when Rayan found the back of the net.
If the Red Devils supporters were hoping to see a fight-back from the team, their expectations were dashed by an error by Yoro. Adrien Truffert stole the ball off the Frenchman and set up Marcus Tavernier to double the lead for the visitors.
Carrick’s team went into the break with the scores at 2-0 and the Englishman decided to bring on Matheus Cunha in place of Tielemans ahead of the second half. However, the Cherries continued to threaten to score, prompting Carrick to replace Heaven with Lisandro Martinez.
Unfortunately, Lammens misjudged a long ball in the 71st minute and came a long way off his line and gifted Evanilson an opportunity. The Brazilian made no mistake and put the ball into the back of the open net to make it 3-0 and kill the game.
Lammens’ poor form continues
Lammens was exceptional last season but has appeared short of confidence after a poor 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Belgian has started all but one game this season for United, but has looked a shadow of the player who became the darling of the Old Trafford faithful last campaign.
Against Bournemouth, the 24-year-old had 43 touches of the ball, and attempted 36 passes with a mere 75% passing completion rate. He did register one key pass, but only three of his 12 long balls made it to a team-mate.
Lammens made just one save in the game and registered two high claims. However, he also committed an error which led to Evanilson’s goal.
| Stat | Premier League | UEFA Champions League | All competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Premier League | UEFA Champions League | All competitions |
| Apps | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Minutes | 720 | 270 | 990 |
| Starts | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Avg rating | 6.86 | 6.74 | 6.83 |
| Saves | 22 | 7 | 29 |
| Goals conceded | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Save % | 71.0% | 77.8% | 72.5% |
| Clean sheets | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties saved | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Final Thoughts
Lammens showed last season that he has the attributes to become a key figure for United. The Belgian’s recent form, as such, should be a cause for concern.
Featured image by Jan Kruger via Getty Images
