Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the second successive season on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils had fallen behind in their previous outing at home and suffered the same fate in the 29th minute when Dean Huijsen headed in a free-kick, with the home side unable to find an equalizer before the break as Bruno Fernandes spurned a trio of chances.
Justin Kluivert added to United's misery with an hour to play as he won and scored a penalty before Antoine Semenyo then struck a third just two minutes later after a sweeping move.
The home side piled on the pressure in the closing stages as they looked for some consolation, but Bournemouth kept a clean sheet as the Red Devils drew a clean sheet.
How the game played out
Amad Diallo was the match winner in last weekend's Manchester derby and he was presented with United's first opener in Sunday's contest. The ball fell kindly in the tiny ivories' 12-yard box, but he was unable to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga with his effort. In the form he is in, he should have done better.
Bournemouth achieved a stunning victory in this fixture last season and they showed early – and ultimately correct – ambitions to repeat that feat at Old Trafford. Their bright start was rewarded just before half an hour when they took the lead, Huijsen's header heaping further misery on Ruben Amorim's side from set pieces.
united looked alarmingly toothless for most of the first half, but they burst into life on the stroke of the half-time whistle. Three promising chances came their captain's way, with Fernandes warming Kepa's gloves in between two unlucky efforts.
Amorim made three changes immediately after the break in an attempt to turn the tide, but soon found his side two goals behind on the hour mark. Noussair Mazraoui's late tackle on Kluivert earned Bournemouth a penalty, with the Dutch striker making no mistake from slotting home the result.
It took just two minutes for Bournemouth to grab a shock third at Old Trafford as United's poor defense fell apart. A brilliant move down Bournemouth's left wing resulted in Dango Ouatarra picking out Semenyo in the box and the Ghanaian produced a composed finish to put the Cherries in dreamland.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho should have provided an immediate response when sent through on goal, but the winger's tame effort was easily denied by striker Kepa to keep Bournemouth's lead intact.
United saw several chances come and go in the final 20 minutes but struggled to work Kepa, with Bournemouth continuing to pose a significant threat on the break. In the end, the hosts were unable to mount any late drama, falling to the worst defeat of Amorim's reign so far.
Check out the player ratings for Man Utd vs Bournemouth here.
Amorim's start to life at Old Trafford has been mixed – and that's if you're an optimist. The Portuguese has yet to transform the Red Devils, who have been similarly lethargic and unconvincing since the departure of Erik ten Hag.
Sunday was arguably the worst defeat of Amorim's tenure to date as Bournemouth outclassed and strengthened his squad. The Cherries were better in every aspect, all over the field. United simply couldn't handle their intensity, nor could they consistently break down what is hardly an impenetrable defence.
Amorim promised to bring fresh ideas and an exciting philosophy to Old Trafford, but the home faithful have yet to see significant evidence of major changes. There is always pressure on the manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world and he will have to answer his critics over the festive period.
Amorim will rightly be given plenty of time to make the necessary improvements in Manchester, but results and, perhaps more importantly, performances should improve in the near future.
Andoni Iraola's cherries are known for their high-intensity pressing. Such tenacity and ruthlessness is what enabled Bournemouth to enjoy such a convincing win at Old Trafford in Premier League last season.
However, United were unable to learn from last season's humiliating defeat. The Red Devils were tired and under pressure from the first whistle, with the visitors playing with tremendous energy around the pitch. Whether deep in United territory or in the center circle, Bournemouth were always in pursuit of the red shirts.
United struggled to play through such a well-organized press and repeatedly conceded possession, often in key defensive areas. They finished with 23 shots but were well beaten, beaten by Bournemouth in almost every single defensive metric.
It was a punishing defeat for Amorim's side, who are still miles away from where they need to be in and out of possession to compete under their new Portuguese coach. If you learn more in defeat than in victory, then Amorimi has been thoroughly educated in recent weeks.
United's struggles from the pack have been well documented this season and their organizational issues were revealed once again against the Cherries. It was unsurprising that Bournemouth took the lead from a set piece and the ease with which they broke into the Red Devils is extremely worrying.
The award of the free-kick was called into question after Tyrell Malacia brought down Adam Smith on United's left flank, but the subsequent defending simply wasn't good enough. Huijsen, who also scored from a set piece against Tottenham Hotspur recently, managed to break free from Joshua Zirkzee very easily at the near post before curling in a lovely header.
After Bournemouth scored from the penalty spot in the second half, United have now conceded 45% of their Premier League goals from the spot this season – the highest percentage of any team in the division by a considerable distance.
One of Amorim's New Year's resolutions should be to improve his team's defensive organization in several areas.