Bournemouth fans are accustomed to their team arriving, netting three goals, and securing a victory. However, this time they netted four and ended up with a draw in what has become the most unpredictable Premier League clash of the season so far.

Manchester United took off like a rocket, quickly seizing the lead. Before Bournemouth could muster a single attempt, United had unleashed 12 shots on goal. Yet, by the final whistle, both teams felt the sting of two points slipping from their grasp rather than the satisfaction of gaining one.

For United, the match offered glimpses of positive development and evidence of transformation. Nevertheless, it also highlighted persistent weaknesses that continue to trouble Amorim’s squad, which frequently oscillates between highs and lows.

Daily Mail Sport‘s Nathan Salt was present at Old Trafford, analyzing the evening’s major talking points with keen insight.

Daily Mail Sport’s NATHAN SALT was at Old Trafford to dissect some of the biggest talking points.

Manchester United were able to survive Bournemouth in one of the most chaotic games of the season so far

Amorim is trying something new

All the discourse on the Metrolink tram, the buses and those walking down Sir Matt Busby Way towards Old Trafford was fixed on one thing: has Amorim really decided to abandon the back three?

When the players emerged for the warm-up and only four defenders were wearing a bib – Diogo Dalot, Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro and Luke Shaw – the pre-match detectives (ourselves included) began to believe it was so.

But then Amad picked his bib up and the game started with a back five.

This was different, though. This was a display that even United insiders conceded was a marked shift from a manager that has been so steadfast in his approach and his set-up.

Out of possession this was a clear 4-4-2 with Yoro pushing out to right back, Heaven and Shaw as centre backs and Dalot as the left back. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were the two up top, with Mason Mount playing left wing and Amad Diallo right wing.

Then, more often than not when in possession, the more familiar back three was on full display.

This was a hybrid that while not totally fluid yet, showed that change is coming.

With Amad Diallo among the players Ruben Amorim is set to lose to AFCON, the manager shook up his playbook

‘It’s always the same thing,’ Amorim said pre-match.

‘The formation is not the most important thing, it’s the way you set up the team and try to take advantage of your opponent.

‘We have to think about the future, and we need to have more variability in our game. We’re going to lose two wingers [Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo], so we need to adapt to the players we have.’

The first half showed United at their very best in the Amorim era: free-flowing, positive, swarming the opposition with attacking players actually attacking and not masquerading as defenders.

In the opening 45 minutes, United produced the second-highest non-penalty Expected Goals (xG) value (2.49), most shots (17) and joint-most touches in the opposition’s box (30) of any side in the league this season. This was the exciting football fans have been crying out for.

‘Man United were fantastic in those first 25 to 30 minutes,’ Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports.

‘It was almost a throwback to Sir Alex Ferguson – fast, attacking football, people being energetic, making runs forward, being positive being on the front foot, winning the ball back early. There was lots of that.’

The fact United didn’t make their dominance count and went on to draw the game leads us on to our next point…

… but it’s still boom or bust football

There were times throughout this most unorthodox of matches where United looked at their absolute best under Amorim, moves being pulled together and sequences that have been lesser spotted, particularly at home.

Mbeumo should have scored, so should Cunha in the first half when teed up by Fernandes on the edge of the box. Amad Diallo was dominating Adrien Truffert, while Djordje Petrovic looked a nervous wreck in the Bournemouth goal.

And United took shots galore, a total of 17 in the first half. They went in 2-1 up but found themselves ruing the fact the game was close. Bournemouth were likely relieved.

But just as they did away to Nottingham Forest, they switched off straight after the restart, looked increasingly suspect defensively regardless of shape, and were 3-2 down before they could even get their bearings.

There is a high level of patience here, particularly among the match-going fans, that this is a process and it won’t suddenly get better overnight.

Man United were forced to turn once against to captain Bruno Fernandes to get them out of trouble after losing their lead

Even in the fifth of eight added on minutes, Senne Lammens produced the save of the match to deny David Brooks’ diving header to salvage a point.

‘Absolute madness. End-to-end. Punch for punch, especially the second half,’ Gary Neville said in commentary.

He was right.

‘In the end we deserved more. It was a fun game for everyone at home,’ Amorim said after the chaos settled.

‘People especially at Old Trafford want to win but they want to be inspired to see a team play good football. We did that well in certain moments.

‘It was a good performance but we need to be more clinical because we created so many chances… we need to find ways of closing the games because this happened many times.

‘That’s part of the process. We try to do things the best we can but in some moments it’s not enough.’

This was a pertinent example of the boom or bust football this Amorim team often falls into the trap of. It’s either great or it’s bad. Rarely is it ever somewhere in between.

Semenyo suitors must act fast

If you want Antoine Semenyo in your team and you think you’ll be able to wait until the summer to get him, it might be time for a swift rethink.

His reported £65million release clause has caught the attention of Manchester City, of Arsenal, of Liverpool, of Tottenham Hotspur, and of Manchester United.

The elephant in the room on this occasion was that he was lucky to stay on the pitch for grabbing Diogo Dalot by the throat.

But that aside (and it’s a big thing to shift aside if you’re United) this was another display that absolutely underlined why in such a competitive market for a player, the sooner you bid the better.

Antoine Semenyo’s stock is rising higher and higher this season and suitors must act fast

This here was his first goal since October 3 but on a night where there was so much attention on him and United shifted their tactics partly to try and neutralise him, he was a constant menace.

It was his sniper-like finishing that levelled things up at 1-1 and while the stats sheet doesn’t tell the full story of how important he was to this Bournemouth fightback, there was more than enough here to convince any top manager that may be hesitating on making an approach.

Will forced United makeover be ‘fun’?

A lot of what was good in the early stages for United was the intensity and guile of Amad and Mbeumo, as well as Casemiro anchoring the midfield.

‘Amad and Mbeumo were punishing us a lot,’ Iraola said. He wasn’t wrong.

But United are losing both now, while Casemiro will be suspended for the trip to face Aston Villa on Sunday, a side on a run of nine straight wins.

Losing all three is devastating for a team that has shown how much one injury setback can derail this whole operation.

United have really struggled when Casemiro has been out of the time – see Brentford away and Man City away where they lost both in convincing fashion – but Amorim has no choice on Sunday.

‘That is the fun part of being a manager,’ Amorim said.

Amorim has a formation puzzle to solve with the number of another high-profile departures

‘We will try to find a solution with the players that we have. We are ready to cope. We will try to find a way to score the goals in a different way.’

For all the good that United showed here, this XI will look a whole lot different come Sunday and that’s a lot more worrying than it is exciting for United and their supporters.

‘I am so happy to go and play this competition for my country. It is my first competition,’ Amad said.

‘I wish the best for [United while I’m away]. I hope they win every game without me, Bryan [Mbeumo] and [Noussair] Mazraoui.’

With this boom and bust, don’t bank on it, Amad.