Bournemouth vs Man Utd LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as controversial penalty earns visitors a draw

Some big news from Manchester United in midweek, as Director of football Murtough has exited Old Trafford.

Murtough, who was appointed United’s first-ever football director in 2021, is stepping down while United pursue Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox to take over from him.

Ashworth has been put on gardening leave by Newcastle, where he is sporting director, but the two clubs have been unable to agree a fee so far to allow the former FA technical director to move to Old Trafford.

United have also made an offer to Southampton for Wilcox, their director of football and a former head of Manchester City’s academy, who is also wanted to become the new technical director at Old Trafford though, once again, no compensation deal has been agreed.

Erik ten Hag has said Manchester United signing a proven goalscorer this summer “would help” – while stressing the striking options with which they entered the current season “should have been enough”.

Having last term finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup in their first campaign under Ten Hag’s management, United have subsequently underwhelmed.

With seven games to go in the league, they lie sixth, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, as well as fifth-placed Aston Villa, and have the lowest goals-for tally in the top 10 with 45.

Twenty-one-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund has netted 13 times in all competitions since being signed last summer to join an attack also featuring Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Rashford has eight United goals to his name for 2023-24, and Martial – sidelined since groin surgery in January, with Ten Hag unsure if he will be available again before the end of the season – two.

The Cherries have enjoyed an excellent season and are still in the mix for a top-half finish, dispelling doubters after overcoming a slow start in the early days of Andoni Iraola’s reign.

Manchester United’s recent performances have left a lot to be desired, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the fight for Champions League football with a 50/1 price available in the Premier League odds.

Football betting sites have Bournemouth down as favourites, which just goes to show how far United have fallen.

A home win is priced at 7/5, with a United win offered at 7/4. A draw is priced at 3/1.

Bournemouth host Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium in Saturday night’s late kick-off in the Premier League.

The Red Devils travel down south in search of a much needed three points after two draws and a loss in their last three games. Erik ten Hag’s side grabbed a surprising draw against old rivals Liverpool at the weekend, but fell to a last-minute 4-3 loss at Chelsea in the game before and were dominated by Brentford a fortnight ago.

The Cherries, meanwhile, have been slowly climbing up the table after recent wins against Everton, Crystal Palace and Luton Town. Andoni Iraola’s side currently sit 12th on 41 points, having already reached the supposed ‘mythical’ threshold of 40 points to avoid relegation.

The match kicks off at 5.30pm BST (1.30pm CEST) on 13 April 2024 at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth.

It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go app – coverage will begin at 5pm BST.

Here’s everything you need to know about the match and get the latest odds and tips, here.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Bournemouth vs Manchester United.

The day’s late-kick pits a struggling United side against a Bournemouth team who are having a fairly successful season so far.

You can follow all the build-up and coverage here.