Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
The Red Devils had some midweek wrongs to right at Old Trafford, having agonisingly missed out on a place in the EFL Cup semi-finals in Thursday's 4-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Ruben Amorim's men had conquered Manchester City 2-1 in last weekend's top-flight derby to end a run of two straight losses in the Premier League, and the Portuguese inevitably made a plethora of changes for the visit of the Cherries.
Man United were memorably condemned to an embarrassing three-goal loss to Andoni Iraola's men in the 2023-24 campaign at Old Trafford, and history incredibly repeated itself for both teams on Sunday afternoon.
Dean Huijsen's opener on the stroke of the half-hour mark put Bournemouth a goal to the good, before two quickfire efforts from Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo propelled the Cherries to another extraordinary triumph at the Theatre of Dreams.
Man United to spend Christmas in bottom half
© Imago
Man United needed to win on Sunday to have any chance of rising into the top half of the Premier League table, but their chastening loss means that they remain 13th in the rankings after 17 matches.
As a result, the Red Devils will spend Christmas Day in the bottom half of the top-flight table for the first time in the Premier League era, and they have now dropped 29 of a possible 51 points in the current campaign.
Man United's set-piece failings also came to the fore on Sunday afternoon, as Huijsen's opener came from a Ryan Christie free kick, which the teenage defender was allowed to meet unchallenged.
The Red Devils have now shipped a whopping 17 Premier League goals from dead-ball situations - excluding penalties - in 2024, their most ever in a single calendar year.
Amorim's team have now been defeated in three of their last four matches across all competitions, and the Portuguese lamented similarities that he saw in the EFL Cup loss to Tottenham as Bournemouth ran riot.
Amorim highlights Tottenham similarities in Bournemouth battering
© Imago
"It's really hard especially if you saw the game," Amorim told BBC Match of the Day. "We concede one foul and then a goal. We were winning second balls and creating chances. We conceded a penalty and then the third goal. It was really hard for the fans. We have to go again next game.
"We have a lot of situations where they managed to score a little bit similar to Tottenham. It's really hard on everyone in the stadium. We have to fight this moment.
"We have to maintain the calm when you suffer a goal. It was similar in the last match. The players need to understand the game has different moments. I always expected [job to be tough], especially in these busy months. We are ready to face the challenge."
Man United's next top-flight game comes away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day, before they conclude 2024 with a home tie against Newcastle United on December 30.
Amorim was also asked whether Marcus Rashford could be back in the squad next Thursday after the Englishman was omitted for the third game in a row, but the 39-year-old was non-committal on the matter.
Ben Knapton
