Man United have 6 straight wins and are quietly waging a Premier League title run as Casemiro leads the way

wearewnited (29)in #united • 2 years ago

ROB DAWSON
Correspondent
5:30 PM ET7 Minute Read
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MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United continued their perfect run since the World Cup with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Casemiro scored his first goal at Old Trafford to put United ahead in the first half before Luke Shaw finished off a move he started to make it 2-0 shortly after half-time. Marcus Rashford got a third late on to make it six straight wins for Man United in all competitive matches.

With the result, Man United move into third while Bournemouth sit at 15th on the Premier League table.

Rapid reaction

Are Man United quietly putting together a title challenge?
The consensus is that if manager Erik ten Hag can get United into the top four and back into the Champions League then it would represent a good return from his first season in charge. But maybe -- just maybe -- he's thinking bigger.

Arsenal and Manchester City are the favourites to win the Premier League title -- and rightly so -- but United have now won their last six games in all competitions and are on a run of one loss in their last 16 games.

Tuesday's victory over Bournemouth put Ten Hag's team on 35 points, level with Newcastle in a tie for third place with a game in hand.

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There are plenty of reasons why United won't win the league -- they could do with a striker in the January transfer window and the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa in early November is a recent reminder that they are still capable of producing a horror performance.

But there are also some compelling reasons why they might be able to challenge the leaders in the second half of the season. In Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro, they have three of the best defensive players in the league. The squad is, for now, also relatively healthy, and Rashford is in form after scoring in four games in a row.

At the very least, Ten Hag has given United fans reason to think a title charge between now and May is possible.

Casemiro is already Ten Hag's most important player
Varane, Martinez and Christian Eriksen are having good seasons at Old Trafford -- but there is no one more important to United than Casemiro. It took a while for the Brazilian to win a place in the team after his summer move from Real Madrid, but now he's the first name on the team sheet.

He took his goal against Bournemouth with such ease that you could be forgiven for thinking it was a simple chance -- but it showed the 30-year-old's quality that he was able to guide Eriksen's free kick into the net with the side of his foot.

Casemiro joined Manchester United this season after nine seasons at Real Madrid.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Casemiro did the rest of his job with quiet efficiency too -- mopping up in front of the back four, winning the ball back and passing it on to players in front of him.

Asked recently why he thought Real Madrid had been willing to let Casemiro leave in the summer, Ten Hag could only smile and reply "I'm glad they did."

In the 16 games Casemiro has started this season, United have kept 10 clean sheets. There remains a debate about whether Ten Hag has enough goals in his squad following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, but they are in safe hands at the back.

Bournemouth's O'Neil learns it's tough at the top
Bournemouth won their last two games before the World Cup break by an aggregate score of 7-1, and two weeks later Gary O'Neil signed an 18-month deal to become their permanent manager. But since the restart, Bournemouth have played four, lost four, conceded eight and scored none.

If he didn't know already, O'Neil is finding out just how tough football management can be. The former Portsmouth and West Ham midfielder only needs to keep Bournemouth up this season, but that's easier said than done.

Defeat at Old Trafford leaves Bournemouth 15th in the table, but only two points above the relegation places as teams below like Nottingham Forest and Wolves are starting to pick up points.

O'Neil, a debut manager, can thank Frank Lampard -- whose Everton team lost 4-1 at home to Brighton on Tuesday -- for keeping the spotlight off him for now. But if results don't turn around soon, then the cut-throat nature of the Premier League means it won't be long before he starts to come under pressure.

Bournemouth's home game against Forest on Jan. 21 could be pivotal in deciding which league they are playing in next season.

Player ratings
Man United: David De Gea 7, Aaron Wan-Bissaka 6, Luke Shaw 8, Victor Lindelof 7, Harry Maguire 7, Casemiro 8, Christian Eriksen 7, Donny van de Beek 6, Brun Fernandes 6, Marcus Rashford 6, Anthony Martial 6.

Subs: Scott McTominay 6, Fred 6, Diogo Dalot 6, Anthony Elanga 6., Lisandro Martinez 6.

Bournemouth: Mark Travers 6, Adam Smith 5, Chris Mepham 6, Lloyd Kelly 6, Marcos Senesi 5, Lewis Cook 6, Jefferson Lerma 5, Jaidon Anthony 6, Philip Billing 5, Ryan Christie 6, Dominic Solanke 5

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