Man United 0-3 Bournemouth: Andoni Iraola’s side extend unbeaten streak to FIVE matches, as Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi score to help Cherries claim first ever win at Old Trafford

If this is the right direction that Erik ten Hag keeps talking about, then God help Manchester United if they ever go in the wrong direction.

A week after it looked like United couldn’t do worse after losing to Newcastle, they did so at a rain-soaked Old Trafford on Saturday, although that may not do justice to Bournemouth’s outstanding performance. .

Meanwhile, Ten Hag’s side beat Chelsea in midweek. Those who are inconsistent are unlikely to describe them.

Exactly who Manchester United will take part in Tuesday’s crucial Champions League match against Bayern Munich and the dangerous trip to Anfield next week is anyone’s guess.

If it’s anything like that, then Ten Hag is in even bigger trouble than we think.

Somewhere, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was watching the horror show unfold as he prepared to dot the i’s on his £1.25 billion investment.

What should Ratcliffe and his Ineos advisers make of this completely disorganized performance? What should they think of these overpaid and under-performing stars? And how do you judge a coach who clearly has no idea what kind of performance he will get from his team from game to game?

United went to Newcastle as the best team in the Premier League and their pants were pulled off. They went into this match with a chance to level with Manchester City on points, having just won November’s manager, player and goal of the month awards, but once again found a way to fall flat on their face.

“Consistently inconsistent! Horrible result,” Gary Neville wrote on social media, summing up the infuriating nature of his old club this season.

Ten Hag bravely took responsibility for United’s 11th defeat in his first 23 games, but was once again badly let down by his players. He can’t keep apologizing for them, much less for a performance as outstanding as this.

It felt like Old Trafford’s infamous leaky roof had collapsed. When substitute Dango Ouattara looked to have scored a fourth goal in stoppage time, you genuinely feared Ten Hag would live to see Bayern on Tuesday.

It was chalked off as handball, as was Marcus Tavernier’s header for offside in the first half. Dominic Solanke hit the post. Make no mistake, it could have been worse, and that wouldn’t have flattered Andoni Iraola’s team either.

They were excellent from start to finish. Everything United wasn’t. Smarter, hungrier, and more even-handed when it mattered.

Their fourth win in their last five games was also the club’s first at Old Trafford.

It will never compare to Bournemouth’s famous FA Cup win over United at Dean Court in January 1984 as Harry Redknapp’s side were battling bottom of the former Third Division, but it is a victory their fans will not forget in a hurry.

Nor will Iraola, who counts the 2012 Europa League win with Athletic Bilbao as the highlight of his playing career.

It was hard to believe how easily Bournemouth kept United at arm’s length. Ten Hag’s team had 20 shots on target, but 12 were blocked and three were on target. Only one of them, Harry Maguire’s turning header from Sergio Reguilon’s cross in the first half, did not cause goalkeeper Neto any trouble at all.

By then United were already behind, and that was before Solanke gave Bournemouth the lead in the fifth minute.

Slow starts have been Ten Hag’s problem throughout the season. They now trail in half their Premier League games and have conceded the first goal nine times in all competitions at Old Trafford.

Here they were at it again, making a number of sloppy passes before Bruno Fernandes made another try to Scott McTominay. Lewis Cook got to the ball first with a burst of acceleration that saw him pass McTominay and beat United’s back four in the same move.

Cook crossed low for Solanka, who found space between Maguire and Luke Shaw, and he beat Andre Onana with a fine strike.

Solanke and Cook were picked from a very good Bournemouth team. The striker proved to be a real handful for United’s defenders, bullying them at times before dropping deep to give their midfielders a taste of the same medicine. Cook hit the ball for the first time.

United were so bad that when Maguire intercepted the ball on the edge of the box before the break it was greeted as a goal.

The home fans were cheering again 11 minutes after the restart when Ten Hag decided he had seen enough – or not enough – from Anthony Martial and swung the Frenchman to Rasmus Hoylund.

It was hard to say which part of this change fans liked the most. Yes, Martial was his infuriating old self again, but he was not alone.

United continued to work and were brought down by Bournemouth’s second goal in the 68th minute.

This time Shaw’s aimless pass was intercepted and Solanke fed Tavernier on the left. He crossed the ball towards the edge of the six-yard box, where 6ft 4in substitute Philip Billing was always the favorite to beat Shaw and Reguilon to head home.

Five minutes later it was three. Tavernier took a corner from the right and no one was able to catch Marcos Senesi as he headed into the net from 10 yards.

The goal was greeted by a chorus of United fans as Ten Hag stood scowling on the touchline.

If United can’t beat Bournemouth, what chance does Bayern have? With such a volatile season, you really couldn’t miss them.

But the prospect of a Champions League exit on Tuesday and a trip to Anfield on Sunday, where Ten Hag lost 7-0 last season and without captain Bruno Fernandes after he was booked here for dissent, is too dire to face. one could even imagine.

With Ratcliffe’s arrival just around the corner, the United manager has every right to be nervous.