The Manchester United side who were reinforced in the summer of 2025 played well against AFC Bournemouth. The other half - the part that the club expects to continue to improve in the upcoming transfer window - is disappointing.
The result was a chaotic 4-4 draw at Old Trafford, fully exposing both the strengths and weaknesses of the team under coach Ruben Amorim. Last season, Man United focused on solving the problem of lack of goals by investing heavily in the attack. However, with most of the budget spent on attackers, the defence has been largely forgotten.
As a result, Man United had the ability to score impressively, but were helpless in defending the goal.
The Old Trafford side have now scored 30 Premier League goals - equal to Arsenal and behind only Manchester City. However, they have only kept a clean sheet in one match, less than Burnley, who are 19th in the table.
"It was an exciting match for all the home fans. People like to see Manchester United play this season, but we need to combine both: entertainment and victory.
If you understand this club, you will know that the responsibility is not only to win but also to inspire the fans. Today brought emotions, but also left regrets" - Amorim shared.
The Red Devils are expected to continue to invest around £200 million in the coming period, with the aim of adding at least one central midfielder and two full-backs. Before he could spend, Amorim was forced to work with an unbalanced squad.
On the attack front, new signings such as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, along with Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Mason Mount, have shown many positive signs. In the first 30 minutes of the match, Man United launched 12 shots towards Bournemouth's goal and a total of 17 shots before the break.
Amad and Fernandes scored, Casemiro headed the ball, while Cunha took the home team to the top for the third time in the 79th minute. However, that is still not enough for them to keep all 3 points.
Bournemouth - a team that has not won in the last 6 matches and has failed to score for more than four hours - has risen strongly. Antoine Semenyo ended his thirst for goals since October, Evanilson scored his first goal since August, before the substitute Junior Kroupi equalized 4-4 in the final minutes.
"It's hard to explain. Manchester United played well in the first 20 minutes, but apart from that period, I was satisfied with the team's performance" - said Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola.
The match could have ended in a worse scenario for Man United if goalkeeper Senne Lammens had not been good at blocking David Brooks' shot in extra time.
After the final whistle, home fans left the stadium with mixed emotions: both witnessing a feast of goals and being disappointed by the weak defense.
Is Man United improving or still stuck in place? The answer is probably in both sides. The team has shown impressive attacking ability, but the problems in the defense have not been resolved.
"We lacked quality in defense. This is something that needs to be improved. When you give too many goals, all attack efforts become fragile," Amorim admitted.
Amorim's concern is even greater as the African Football Cup is about to kick off. Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo - two of the most outstanding players - will join Cameroon and the Ivory Coast in turn. Noussair Mazraoui will also be absent when joining the Morocco national team, while Casemiro is suspended.
That means Man United will have to visit Aston Villa - the Premier League's most in-form team - with a broken squad and many unresolved problems.
Until the next phase of the transfer plan is implemented, Amorim is forced to make the most of what he has in hand.
