This was a momentous night in Bournemouth’s history, although the truth is they would have been given a far sterner examination by Coventry or Hull. You can only beat what lies in front of you and Marco Rose’s players never relinquished control against a rotten impersonation of a Milan side. The visitors resembled holograms even before Mike Maignan, their goalkeeper, rendered their task impossible with a deserved sending-off in the first half.
By then Justin Kluivert had given Bournemouth the lead with a penalty and it was another spot-kick from Marcus Tavernier, given after Maignan’s rush of blood, that underlined their overwhelming superiority. Amine Adli applied the garnish with a late free-kick and it meant an abject return to British shores for Ruben Amorim, who would have been excused seeing this particular week as the opportunity to make a point. On this evidence Manchester United, to whom Bournemouth travel on Sunday, share more than a few similarities with the modern version of Milan.
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