Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester United: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores on league debut as Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney net for Jose Mourinho's side
- Juan Mata opened the scoring for Manchester United in a fortuitous manner on 40 minutes
- Wayne Rooney doubled the visitors' lead on 59 minutes with a header past Artur Boruc
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his Premier League bow with a long-range strike just five minutes later
- Adam Smith pulled one back for Bournemouth on 69 minutes with a thunderous left-footed effort
s
Just 90 minutes into the Jose Mourinho era at Manchester United, and there they were, top of the league. Don't laugh. The last time that happened to a Mourinho team they didn't let it go until the title was won.
Other results were pending, of course. Not just this weekend, but through the remaining 37 fixtures of the season. One away win at Bournemouth does not make a title challenge. Then again, there was too much that was good here to just dismiss it as a first weekend irrelevance.
Much of what Mourinho tried worked, and key individuals left a mark on the game. Wayne Rooney scored, so did Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata. Eric Bailly looked strong at the back and David De Gea's good form continued.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his Premier League debut with a goal as Manchester United won at Bournemouth
Ibrahimovic scored Manchester United's third goal of Sunday afternoon with this long-range effort
United's No 9 watches on as his strike arrows into the bottom corner to give them a 3-0 lead on the south coast
The 34-year-old was mobbed by his team-mates as United boss Jose Mourinho barks out instructions
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Bournemouth (4-3-3): Boruc 5.5; Francis 4.5, A. Smith 6.5, S. Cook 5.5, Daniels 5.5; Surman 5.5, Arter 6, L. Cook 6 (Gradel 82); Ibe 6.5 (Afobe 68, 6), Wilson 5.5 (Grabban 68, 6), King 6.
Subs not used: Gosling, Ake, B. Smith, Federici.
Goal: Smith 69
Manager: Eddie Howe 5
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Valencia 6, Bailly 7.5, Blind 7, Shaw 6; Fellaini 7.5, Herrera 6; Mata 7.5 (Mkhitaryan 75, 6), Rooney 6 (Depay 89), Martial 6.5 (Schneiderlin 85); Ibrahimovic 8.
Subs not used: Rojo, Carrick, Rashford, Romero.
Goals: Mata 40, Rooney 59, Ibrahimovic 64
Booked: Herrera
Manager: Jose Mourinho 8
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands) 7.5
Attendance: 11,355
*Player ratings by Sam Cunningham
Chris Smalling's absence may prove unfortunate. Daley Blind's intelligence seems a perfect foil for Bailly's physicality and United looked nicely balanced even at the formative stage with Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to come. Lead from the front is Mourinho's style, and his team began by doing just that.
The margin of victory was significant, too. The last time United scored three goals in an away league win was October 17, 2015, at Everton. Bournemouth, though small in stature, are no mugs either but United swept them aside. They were a goal up by half-time and three clear with 26 minutes remaining. Adam Smith pulled one back for Bournemouth after 69 minutes but it was no more than window-dressing.
For all of Manchester United's riches few regarded this game as a pushover. Pogba is yet to play – the world's most expensive player is expected to make his debut against Southampton on Friday – and Mourinho left another summer signing, Mkhitaryan, on the bench. So this remains a team in transition. What is clear, though, is that Mourinho has got them going.
He never left the technical area, barking instructions at Luke Shaw, or rebuking Blind for inaccurate long passes. When the travelling fans attempted to get cosy by singing his name and asking for a wave, he wisely ignored it. He has too much on his plate right now to be distracted. He has to whip United into title-winning shape, shake off the torpor of last season. He can't get side-tracked by endless call and response.
A mistake eventually gave United the lead, but it wasn't sheer luck but the hard running of Mata was key to the first goal. Mata? Hard running? Yes, indeed. Maybe the penny has dropped that it is only mediocre work rate that will keep a super talented player out of a Mourinho team.
Mourinho walks out before kick-off for the first time in the Premier League as Manchester United manager
Summer signing Ibrahimovic controls the ball in one of his first touches of the ball in the English top flight
Bournemouth summer signing Jordon Ibe (left) runs with the ball during the early exchanges of Sunday's encounter
Callum Wilson (left) tries an effort at goal for the hosts under pressure from United left back Luke Shaw
Eric Bailly (left) controls the ball in mid-air as the visitors look to start an attack from defence
There was a scare for United when Ibrahimovic suffered a clash of heads with Simon Francis but he was fine soon after
Francis (right) was soon back on his feet as demonstrated with a perfectly-timed tackle on Anthony Martial
It was captain vs captain at one point as United skipper Wayne Rooney tried to shield the ball from Francis
The manager loves skill. He adores talent. But he knows it only goes so far in today's Premier League. Mata's performance on Sunday combined the best of both worlds. He most certainly has a future at Manchester United if he plays like this.
Rewind seven days and Mata was put on and then taken off after 30 minutes of the Community Shield, because Mourinho wanted bigger players to resist a late aerial bombardment from Leicester. Immediately, this was interpreted as a sign of schism between the pair – Mourinho having previously agreed to sell Mata to United, from Chelsea. Confounding the conspiracy theorists, then, Mourinho preferred Mata to Mkhitaryan – and was rewarded with a performance full of the industry so many say is missing from his game.
He closed down, he tackled, he tracked, and when Herrera overhit another ball from deep in the 40th minute, he kept running even though it looked a lost cause. This put pressure on Bournemouth captain Simon Francis who, having swept up the loose ball, under-clubbed his back pass to goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Mata was quick onto that, too, Boruc just winning the race but the ball flying free before striking the luckless Francis, sending it back to Mata again. The goalkeeper down, the goal open, he made no mistake.
There was an element of good fortune in the build up to the second goal after 59 minutes, too, but no luck in the execution. Antonio Valencia crossed from the right and Martial mishit a volley which cannoned into the turf, bouncing up to Rooney. He reacted superbly, though, steering a header past Boruc with the assurance of a born goalscorer – which is exactly what he is.
Lewis Cook (centre) tries to weave his way through the tackles of Marouane Fellaini (right) and Shaw
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe gestures on the touchline as he urges more from his side at the Vitality Stadium
With just minutes before half-time United took the lead through playmaker Juan Mata
Mata gave the visitors the lead with a simple tap-in after Bournemouth failed to clear their lines properly
Mata wheels away in celebration as Francis is a picture of anguish after his mistake gifted United a first-half lead
Mata punches the air with joy after opening the Red Devils' account for the new Premier League campaign
The 28-year-old was duly congratulated by his team-mates after giving them the lead
Rooney will shrug and say it is what he is there to do, but deep down he will recognise the added importance of a goal to open the campaign. Mourinho has charged him with being a matchwinner again this season after his dalliance in midfield, and there are many who doubt he has it in him. It certainly didn't look that way, though, as he turned an unexpected opportunity into a confidently executed conclusion.
United were now looking comfortable and, soon after, won a free-kick outside the area, which Ibrahimovic took, forcing an outstanding save from Boruc. But he was not to be denied on his Premier League debut and in the 64th minute turned a meandering attack outside the area into a deadly assault – killing any hope of a Bournemouth revival with a shot from 20 yards which flew low into the far corner.
He has now found the net in his first game in Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Premier League. Lasting the full 90 minutes, plus four minutes of injury time, he looked a Manchester United player from topknot to toe. Mourinho celebrated his goal extravagantly. He knows how to feed the Zlatan ego, too.
It wasn't just the goal but his extraordinarily effective link play that impressed. He made little impact inside the box, but was quite magnificent with his deft flicks and link work, always finding his man, and often on the volley. It is no backhanded compliment to say that his ability to bring team-mates into the game so consistently reminded of a very under-rated Manchester United forward from generations past: Stuart Pearson.
Rooney had a great chance to double United's lead just after the break when he was put through by Ibrahimovic
With only Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc to beat through Rooney could only blast an effort straight at him
However, United's No 10 was soon smiling as he doubled their advantage on the south coast
The 30-year-old made it 2-0 to the Red Devils with this header past former Southampton goalkeeper Boruc
Rooney watches on as his nodded effort bounced past the reach of Boruc and into the net
Rooney points to the heavens after extending the Red Devils' lead on Sunday afternoon
Bournemouth pulled one back on 69 minutes through right back Adam Smith
Smith lashed home a thunderous strike past David de Gea (centre) in the United goal
Smith celebrates his strike as his effort gave Bournemouth a glimmer of hope against United
Ibrahimovic is a mighty specimen, too, and when he went up with Francis after 14 minutes it was the Bournemouth man who took a battering. Not since Didier Drogba has a Premier League striker combined physicality with such a sublime touch; and Mourinho loved Chelsea's beautiful battering ram. With the score at 1-0 still, the pass of the game from Ibrahimovic sent Rooney away, but Boruc was quick off his line to smother.
If there was a negative for Mourinho it would be that Smith pulled one back for Bournemouth, cutting in on the right after a pass by Lewis Grabban, but the game was over by then. He said it served as a warning, about control.
Bournemouth had another late chance through Max Gradel which De Gea saved, and had it gone in the last moments would have been very nervy. So Mourinho lectured on the value of control. He likes control. He was very much in control on Sunday, and so were United. Just 90 minutes, of course, but already rather ominous ones if United can maintain this form.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (left) came on as a late substitute to make his Premier League debut for the visitors
Tempers flared among Bournemouth's own players with Lewis Grabban (centre) having to split Josh King and Max Gradel
Ibrahimovic and his United team-mates applaud the travelling fan base at the Vitality Stad
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3739937/Bournemouth-1-3-Manchester-United-Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-scores-league-debut-Juan-Mata-Wayne-Rooney-net-Jose-Mourinho-s-side.html#ixzz4HL8CyGwz
