Manchester United vs AFC Bournemouth: Premier League preview, team news, stats & head-to-head

It was noted that United practised defending set-pieces during the pre-match warm-up. Clearly the message is not getting through.

At the start of this month, they conceded two goals at Arsenal from corners.

Another followed in the match after, the home defeat by Nottingham Forest, while on Thursday, Tottenham skipper Son Hueng-min scored direct from a corner to confirm United’s EFL Cup elimination.

There was nothing particularly strategic about United’s latest set-piece calamity as Ryan Christie floated a free-kick to the near post after Tyrell Malacia had needlessly chopped down Adam Smith by the touchline when the ball was bouncing out of play.

Joshua Zirkzee was supposed to be marking Huijsen but the 19-year-old Spain youth international did not need to do too much to wriggle free and flick his header into the far corner.

At a time of redundancies and cost cutting at Old Trafford, the repeated failures in this facet of the game do not reflect well on United’s set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes.

United did have chances. On-loan Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga denied Bruno Fernandes with an excellent first-half save after Huijsen had given the ball away inside his own half.

Substitute Leny Yoro was also denied late on, although by then the home side were merely looking for some kind of consolation.

While they knew there would be issues adapting to a new boss who would bring in a new formation, the new-manager bounce United had been hoping for from Amorim’s arrival has proved to be all too brief. Christmas will not be a comfortable one for the Portuguese.