Mourinho arrives in style

Mourinho arrives in style

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 01:20 PM IST
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Manchester United's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) follows up his free kick during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on August 14, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / |

Manchester United downs Bournemouth 3-1

Bournemouth : Jose Mourinho’s style, Lead from the front, was demonstrated by his team Manchester United on Sunday to register a 3-1 win against Bournemouth. It was first time since 2015, that they scored three goals in an away league, sweeping aside dangerous opponents in the process. Zlatan Ibrahimovic maintained his incredible debut record with a wonder strike to announce his arrival to the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic scored a brilliant 64th minute goal with a low shot from 30 yards and has now scored on his first appearance in Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Champions League. It was a convincing victory for Manchester United as Jose Mourinho looks to have turned them into genuine title contenders. Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney were also on target for United before Adam Smith pulled one back for Bournemouth on an otherwise perfect day for United.

Juan Mata scored after his humbling experience at Wembley last week; so did Wayne Rooney, who Mourinho has charged with being a match-winner again and Zlatan Ibrahimovic who looked a Manchester United player from topknot to toe.

Mata, and a Bournemouth mistake, had United up by half-time and there was an element of good fortune in the build up to their second goal, too. Antonio Valencia crossed from the right and Anthony Martial mishit a volley which cannoned into the turf, bouncing up to Rooney. He reacted superbly steering a header.

Soon after, United won a free-kick outside the area, which Ibrahimovic took, forcing an outstanding save from Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc, but he was not to be denied on his Premier League debut. On 64th minute a meandering attack outside the area turned into an assault – killing any hope of a Bournemouth revival with a shot from 20 yards which flew low into the far corner. Smith pulled one back for Bournemouth, cutting in on the right after a pass by Lewis Grabban, but the game was lost by then. United went top. Just 90 minutes into the new season – but the last time it happened to a Mourinho team they did not relinquish the position until the title was won.

It was not until the 24th minute that United had a shot of any significance, and not until the 27th that they got one on target. But that hardly mattered in the end.

With Paul Pogba not available, Mourinho prefered new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the bench. so Mata, Rooney and Anthony Martial were in support of Ibrahimovic. This tie made it clear that, the forwards will have to go further in the season as a team.

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