Marcus Rashford strikes again as Manchester United outclass Bournemouth

Marcus Rashford scored for a fourth consecutive game as Manchester United eased to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

Goals from Casemiro and Luke Shaw had already put United in command and this result had a routine feel – something that has been missing at Old Trafford in recent times but which is returning as Erik ten Hag shifts the mentality of this club.

United were not at their free-flowing best – Casemiro’s goal was the only shot on target in the first half – but did not need to be against a Bournemouth side who never looked like threatening what would have been a first ever league victory in Manchester.

Newcastle’s draw at Arsenal kept United in fourth place, but this was a fourth home league win in a row without conceding for the first time since 2017, a sign of United’s rediscovered resilience.

Ten Hag has certainly altered the mood around the club but the back four came straight from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were both restored at centre-half, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Shaw the full-backs.

Lisandro Martinez, available again after Argentina’s World Cup victory, was limited to an 88th-minute introduction after parading his winners’ medal before kick-off.

Rashford inevitably returned after the missed alarm call which meant he had to come off the bench to get the winner at Wolves on Saturday, with Antony dropping out due to injury.

The game barely sparked in the opening 20 minutes as United’s narrow front three struggled to find a way through the Bournemouth defence.

The breakthrough came from a set-piece after Rashford drew a foul from Adam Smith on the left, with Christian Eriksen floating in a ball from deep which Casemiro, breaking free from Dominic Solanke, met at the near