Man United vs Bournemouth – Kroupi’s late goal saves a point for Cherries in the Premier League classic

Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi struck late to rescue a point for his side in a 4-4 draw against Manchester United on Monday, capping off a Premier League thriller that swung wildly from start to finish.

Ruben Amorim’s men squandered the chance to draw level with fourth-place Chelsea in the standings, and instead sit sixth with 26 points. Bournemouth are 13th with 21 points.

United looked set for victory after Bruno Fernandes scored a stunning free-kick, and Matheus Cunha struck two minutes apart in the second half to make it 4-3.

Bournemouth’s 19-year-old substitute Kroupi silenced United’s fans just five minutes later when Alejandro Jimenez found him on the edge of the penalty area in the 84th minute.

United goalkeeper Senne Lammens made an instinctive save with his right foot to deny David Brooks’ diving header in the sixth minute of stoppage time to secure the draw.

Each side had nine shots on target in a game that will go down as a classic, with end-to-end action. When the final whistle blew after 100 exhausting minutes, it was difficult to say whether either team left feeling satisfied.

“I suppose it was a nice game for the neutral side,” Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola told Sky Sports. «It had everything. Moments when you think it’s a loss. Moments when you think we have this one, we’re comfortable.»

“You didn’t even know if we were happy to finish the game or give us another minute.»

United’s Amad Diallo opened the scoring with a close-range header in the 13th minute after goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic initially saved Diogo Dalot’s cross.

However, the visiting team gradually got going and equalized through Antoine Semenyo in the 40th minute.

Casemiro restored United’s lead with a header from a corner on the stroke of half-time, gifted by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic’s clumsy save.

But it was reversed when Evanilson struck seconds after the break, with thousands of fans still to return to their seats at Old Trafford.

Marcus Tavernier scored with a low free-kick in the 52nd minute to put Bournemouth ahead but United fought back, with Fernandes curling in a set-piece of his own in the 77th minute to level the score.

Cunha thought he had scored the winner in the 79th when Benjamin Sesko sent the ball in from the left wing and the Brazilian fired home. But the evening took another turn when Kroupi had the last word.

United, who had 17 shots in the first half, rued the chances they failed to give away in a key match before Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo left for the Africa Cup of Nations.

«It’s really disappointing,» United boss Ruben Amorim told the BBC. «We are really disappointed. Crazy game. It may seem like we lost the two points in the second half, but I think we lost them in the first half.»

«We dominated and created so many chances. We had to go to halftime with a different result. In the end we deserved more.»

Published on December 16, 2025