Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United recorded an impressive 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth at Dean Court.
Goals to Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and debutant Zlatan Ibrahimovic put the visitors in a commanding position before Adam Smith pulled a goal back with 20 minutes remaining.
The result pushes the Red Devils to the top of the Premier League standings, with two matches to play in the first round with Paul Pogba to make his debut against Southampton.
AFC Bournemouth
Artur Boruc – 5: Spilled the ball which led to United’s fortuitous opener. Could do little thereafter.
Simon Francis – 4: Horrible double-error to gift United the lead. A day to forget.
Steve Cook – 5: Did well on Ibrahimovic early, but lost that battle comprehensively after the break.
Adam Smith – 7: Troubled United even after the visitors took control of the contest.
Charlie Daniels – 6.5: Had his work cut out in dealing with Valencia but applied himself well to get forward, too.
Andrew Surman – 6: A no fuss performance. No standout moments, good or bad.
Harry Arter – 7: Lacked his usual penetration from midfield but never stopped working.
Lewis Cook – 7: Left the pitch to sizeable applause from the Bournemouth faithful after arriving from Leeds United. One to watch.
Jordan Ibe – 5: Disappointing, but will improve with consistent game time.
Joshua King – 6: Could not get himself 1v1 often enough to showcase his speed.
Callum Wilson – 6: Will take time to get back to his level pre-injury – showed glimmers that his instincts are still just as sharp.
Substitutes
Lewis Grabban – 6.5: Instant impact. Found Smith inside the area for Bournemouth’s consolation goal but could not add to that sole moment.
Benik Afobe – 6: Starved of service – did not get seriously involved.
Max Gradel – 6: Little time to impress and enjoyed his best moment in the fourth minute of added time.
REACTION | Almost the perfect day for Man United, especially Bailly and Zlatan | https://t.co/YewQ1L7Byw | #BOUMUN #MUFC
— Outside90 (@Outside90) August 14, 2016
Manchester United
David De Gea – 7: Could do little as Smith found the top corner. Tested in the final minute and passed with flying colours.
Antonio Valencia – 7: Afforded freedom on the right and exploited it to good effect.
Eric Bailly – 8.5: Imperious. Hard as nails when dealing with the tricky forward line of King, Wilson and Ibe.
Daley Blind – 7: Troubled by Wilson’s pace at times, but made up for that with his brilliant positional sense.
Luke Shaw – 6.5: Owned the left flank, but perhaps did not make his mark in an attacking sense.
Marouane Fellaini – 7 : Got better after the break – dropped between Bailly and Blind to receive possession as United bossed midfield.
Ander Herrera – 6: Busy performance, albeit error strewn at times.
Juan Mata – 7: Accepted Cook’s double gift to open the scoring. Excellent after the break. Replaced on 76 minutes.
Wayne Rooney – 7: Squandered a brilliant chance to double United’s lead on 50 minutes but opened his account for the new campaign with a neat header.
Anthony Martial – 7: Busy on the inside left channel and stretched Bournemouth’s rearguard. Withdrawn on 85 minutes.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 8.5: Grew into the game – took his goal brilliantly and was a highly functional target man as United gained in fluency.
Zlatan…
Serie A debut: GOAL
La Liga debut: GOAL
Ligue 1 debut: GOAL
Champions League debut: GOAL#PL debut: GOAL pic.twitter.com/OQmest1In8— Premier League (@premierleague) August 14, 2016
Substitutes
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6: Given 15 minutes to shine but struggled to get involved as Mourinho looked to preserve a two goal lead.
Morgan Schneiderlin – 6: Did his past in shutting the contest down in the final nine minutes.
Memphis Depay – N/A: Introduced with two minutes to play.
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