Bournemouth vs. Manchester United: Score, Reaction from 2015 Premier League

Bournemouth beat visitors Manchester United 2-1 in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

Junior Stanislas and Joshua King scored for the hosts. Marouane Fellaini had equalised before one-time United striker King bagged the winner.

The result means the Red Devils have lost ground in the title race and the pressure has ramped up on under-fire boss Louis van Gaal. Meanwhile, the Cherries have added another big-name victim after beating defending champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week. 

Van Gaal named a youthful starting XI, per the club's official Twitter feed:

OptaJoe detailed the lack of experience:

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe named a familiar lineup, according to the Cherries' official Twitter account:

Playmaker Andrew Surman figured to be influential at the heart of things, while winger Stanislas would provide the attacking threat.

So it proved as Stanislas scored direct from a corner with less than three minutes on the clock.

Sky Sports on Twitter provided images of the outlandish strike:

"

GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Man United (Stanislas – directly from a corner). Watch on SS1: https://t.co/Sstw0HHOk5 #SNF pic.twitter.com/EAFNteOixS

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 12, 2015"

That wasn't the only problem the Red Devils faced from set pieces.

Bournemouth spent most of the first half in the ascendancy, but United managed to strike back just over 20 minutes before the break.

Towering Belgian Fellaini bundled home at the second attempt. The goal ended a prolonged scoring drought for Fellaini in United colours, according to Squawka:

It was a scrappy goal, but a credit to the too often maligned former Everton man.

Fellaini doesn't fit the mould of technical football United fans believe is the club's badge of honour. But the 28-year-old is a better player on the ball than he's given credit for, and he's never lost the knack for being a nuisance in the box. It's a quality United have found useful more than once.

Another corner put the Cherries back in the lead in the second half. Simon Francis' raiding run and shot led to a short corner that travelled unopposed in front of the penalty spot, where King turned it home.

King's been prolific recently, as WhoScored.com noted:

Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News detailed how much United have struggled against set pieces recently:

Fellaini nearly replied instantly, but he drew a save from Artur Boruc. Then he had another effort blocked by Harry Arter.

Nobody in a United shirt could match his attacking threat:

So it was a surprise when Van Gaal swapped Fellaini for young creative midfielder Nick Powell.

In the meantime, King had been withdrawn for Glenn Murray, who quickly proved a menace to the United defence, shooting over from yet another troublesome corner. Seconds earlier, he'd turned defender Daley Blind inside out but inexplicably lifted the ball over the bar.

Next, it was Anthony Martial's turn to sky a great chance. Terrific skill in the box created the opening, but the former Monaco man blazed his shot into the stands.

United couldn't muster any ingenuity in forward areas during the game's final minutes. The lack of guile was an indictment of their minimal imagination in attack, something that's cost Van Gaal's team too often already this season.

Post-Match Reaction

Howe refused to put this win above beating Chelsea last week, per the league's official Twitter account:

Howe said his players' collective effort stood out against the Red Devils:

Van Gaal also referenced Bournemouth's hard-working approach and how it stifled his team:

The Reds' gaffer hardly did himself any favours with this bizarre and rather defiant-sounding assessment of the game, per Squawka:

At least his players are focused on putting things right and improving. Holding midfielder Michael Carrick told MUTV (h/t the club's Twitter account) playing better next week is the priority:

David De Gea echoed those sentiments via his own Twitter account:

United look far from credible title contenders as they've failed to win in their last three Premier League matches. As for Bournemouth, they've moved to 14th in the table and provided a major fillip to their chances of survival.