Sport

Manchester United claim third win in a row

07:40 am on 31 December 2018

Midfielder Paul Pogba scored twice, for the second time since Jose Mourinho's departure from the club, as Manchester United beat Bournemouth 4-1 to make it three wins in a row for caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

French World Cup winner Pogba, relishing his football again since the change of management, took just five minutes to strike, sliding the ball in at the back post after a wonderful piece of dribbling and a precise low cross from Marcus Rashford.

Pogba, who scored twice against Huddersfield Town on Boxing Day, then burst into the box to head home an Ander Herrera cross from deep to make it 2-0.

There was real class about United's third, in the 45th minute, as Anthony Martial delivered a low cross with the outside of his boot and Rashford guided it home off the outside of his outstretched foot.

Bournemouth pulled a goal back in stoppage-time at the end of the first half when David Brooks skipped around the United defence and placed a cross on the head of Nathan Ake who nodded past David De Gea.

Romelu Lukaku made it 4-1, two minutes after coming on as a 70th minute substitute, latching on to a Pogba through ball and hooking the ball past the advancing Asmir Begovic.

Pogba was inches away from a hat-trick with a low drive from 20 yards out that struck the post.

The relaxed and positive mood was slightly undone by a wild lunge in the 79th minute from United defender Eric Bailly on Ryan Fraser, with the Ivorian rightly being shown a straight red card.

-Reuters