MANCHESTER: Marcus Rashford scored for a fourth consecutive game as Manchester United eased to a 3-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday to cement its place in the top four.
Casemiro and Luke Shaw had already netted for United before Rashford added the third on his return to the team after being dropped against Wolverhampton for oversleeping and missing a meeting.
Rashford came off the bench to score the winner against Wolves and was on target again against Bournemouth in a result that had a routine feel, something which has been missing at Old Trafford in recent times but which is returning as manager Erik ten Hag shifts the mentality of the club.
United was not at its free-flowing best — Casemiro’s goal was the only shot on target in the first half — but did not need to be against an opponent that never looked threatening.
United is in fourth place and tied on points with third-place Newcastle. It 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 center half while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Shaw were the full backs.
Lisandro Martinez, available again after Argentina’s World Cup victory, was limited to an 88th-minute introduction after parading his winner’s medal before kickoff.
United’s breakthrough came from a set piece after Rashford drew a foul from Adam Smith on the left. Christian Eriksen floated in a ball that Casemiro met at the near post to guide home on the volley.
Donny van de Beek did not finish the first half because he was sent hobbling from the field by a poor challenge from Marcos Senesi.
Alejandro Garnacho was sent on to replace him, and had an assist just four minutes into the second half as United took advantage of the lots of space left by the Bournemouth defense.
Shaw carried the ball from his own half, shifted it to the right, and then arrived to apply the finish as Garnacho rolled the ball back into the box.
Anthony Martial headed straight down the tunnel with a potential injury when he was replaced in the 69th minute, but United kept pushing and Garnacho bent a shot against the outside of the post.
A third goal seemed inevitable and duly arrived in the 86th minute when Bruno Fernandes’ lay-off set up Rashford to sidefoot into an empty net.
United ended the night only one point behind Manchester City, which visits Chelsea on Thursday before coming to Old Trafford on Jan. 14.
Man United beats Bournemouth 3-0, Rashford scores again
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Man United beats Bournemouth 3-0, Rashford scores again
- United is in fourth place and tied on points with third-place Newcastle
Schott and Del Rey share early lead at Bahrain Championship
- Both record a 65 to top leaderboard after the first round at Royal Golf Club
BAHRAIN: Freddy Schott and Alejandro Del Rey have opened their Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship bids in style, both recording a 65 to share the lead after the first round at Royal Golf Club.
Spaniard Del Rey has yet to miss a cut on what is his fifth start of the 2026 DP World Tour campaign, and he continued his rich vein of form in the third event of the International Swing.
Del Rey, who earlier this week celebrated the one-year anniversary of his maiden title at this level at the Ras Al-Khaimah Championship, set the initial clubhouse target thanks to five birdies on the front nine and two more on his way home.
“It was nice, a quick start. I took advantage of the morning, that it was a little bit calmer with the wind. I’m very happy with the round,” said Del Rey.
“I feel like the course is a little bit softer than last year and you know that it’s gettable, you know that it’s the morning and calm you have to take advantage of it. You go out with that mentality, okay, you just have to get it going pretty quick.
“I really enjoy this first Swing here in the desert. I’ve always enjoyed it. I’ve had my highs and my lows, but I’ve always felt very comfortable out here and the course, I feel like it suits me well. I really enjoy my time here in January especially.”
He was later joined by Germany’s Schott who ended his rollercoaster round with a closing birdie-eagle to share the lead at seven under, ahead of a logjammed leaderboard which has 28 players sit within four shots.
Schott, starting on the back nine, had powered his way into the chasing pack following an outrageous start of six birdies from his opening seven holes.
The 24-year-old slipped back with a double bogey at the first before bouncing back with a birdie at the fourth. He dropped another shot at the seventh, but holed putts from 5 meters and 4 meters at the eighth and ninth respectively for a birdie-eagle finish and a share of the lead.
“It was really good, especially the start. It started off well and finished well, so I’m very pleased,” said Schott.
“I just tried to stay focused. We were still up there, so I just tried to pull it together again and hit my comfortable shots. For me personally, it was a little fairway-finder fade and that got me back in it quite quick.
“Coming out of the bunker there on nine, it was a really good shot in and a good putt to finish.”
Defending champion Laurie Canter carded a 66. The Englishman offset a bogey on the seventh with a birdie on the ninth to finish in a share for third. “Obviously I think going out and shooting six-under in the first round was great.
“This golf course is always the same, you play on the flat card and then you see birdie chances, and then the wind gets up and everybody’s trying to tackle how it plays. I dug in there to finish and then a nice birdie on nine, my 18.”
He added: “I think I just like desert golf. It’s an advantage to drive the ball well. Usually hitting the ball high and soft is useful.
“I’ve always putted well on these greens the times I’ve played here, so it’s probably a combination of all that, just feeling comfy, good weather, good food. You can’t beat desert golf.
“I think it’s important to start strong, it’s going to be a long week. I think scoring is going to be the same all week. If you can go out and chase a score in the morning for sure, and then as the wind gets up it becomes much more difficult,
“So I do think it’s important to play good in that morning wave and hopefully continue to hit the ball good tomorrow afternoon and push on this weekend and give it a go and take the trophy home again.”
He was joined by New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, Sweden’s Niklas Lemke, Germany’s Nicolai Von Dellingshausen and India’s Shubhankar Sharma at six-under par.
Meanwhile, last week’s winner Patrick Reed finished further back in the field after battling the wind with an opening round 71.
“It’s a frustrating day, going out there and only shooting one-under par, especially when I felt like I hit the ball pretty well. This golf course, when it gets windy, it gets tricky,” said Reed.
“I’ve really enjoyed all of my time out there on LIV. It’s been a blast. I learned a lot when I was out there playing and hopefully my Four Aces and the team can go out there and win everything.
“I will still be pulling for them and watching them. I am really excited to be out here to play on the DP World Tour like always, and really excited to get back to the PGA Tour and start playing close to home.
“I’m just really grateful and thankful to have the opportunity to play everywhere around the world like I have. Now we’re starting a new chapter and I can’t wait for it to get really rolling.”
