Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku found the net as Manchester United beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium to return to winning ways.
The Red Devils were ahead from their second attempt on target 28 minutes in thanks to Smalling's close-range finish after being picked out by Jesse Lingard.
Lukaku came off the bench to add a second in the final quarter of the match, lifting United four points clear of Liverpool in the race to finish second.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium. United are aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats in the top flight for the first time since May last year after losing 1-0 at home to West Bromwich Albion last time out, while the Cherries still have a top-half finish in their sights heading into the final set of matches.
The Red Devils can no longer finish top as a result of that shock defeat at the weekend, so it is now a case of holding off Liverpool to finish in second. All eyes are very much on the FA Cup, though, with a semi-final showdown against Tottenham Hotspur to come on Saturday evening, meaning that Jose Mourinho is expected to rotate his squad for this trip to the south coast.
MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Jones, Shaw; Herrera, Fellaini, Pogba; Lingard, Rashford, Martial
SUBS: Pereira, Bailly, Blind, Young, Matic, Sanchez, Lukaku
As expected, Mourinho makes wholesale changes from the 1-0 loss to West Brom last time out. That is down to a mixture of the hugely disappointing result, which gifted the title to Man City, but also because of that FA Cup semi-final in three days' time. Hard to differentiate between those dropped and those rested tonight, then, but it is fair to say that Romelu Lukaku - on the bench - fits into the latter category.
Lukaku has scored six goals in five previous meetings with Bournemouth and could play a part from the bench tonight if needed. The Belgian's absence from the starting lineup gives Marcus Rashford a chance to impress through the middle, flanked by forgotten man Anthony Martial who is looking increasingly likely to leave Old Trafford in the summer. Jesse Lingard, just about United's best player in recent months, takes up a spot on the right.
Plenty of players brought in from the dark tonight, in fact, as Martial is joined in the starting lineup by Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian and Marouane Fellaini from the 1-0 loss at West Brom. Shaw and Darmian will operate at full-back, while Phil Jones has been brought into central defence to partner Chris Smalling. A fresh starting lineup named by Mourinho, but there is one familiar face between the sticks as David de Gea skippers the side.
BOURNEMOUTH TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Begovic; Francis, S.Cook, Ake, Daniels; Fraser, L.Cook, Surman, Ibe; King; Wilson
SUBS: Boruc, Simpson, Arter, Gosling, Pugh, Mousset, Defoe
Switching attention to the home side, Eddie Howe has brought in Andrew Surman and Callum Wilson from the 3-0 loss to Liverpool last time out. The home side will effectively line up in a 4-4-2 formation tonight, albeit with Joshua King dropping deeper to feed the returning Wilson up top. Jordon Ibe and Ryan Fraser will operate the flanks, meanwhile, and central midfield is comprised of Andrew Surman and Lewis Cook.
Bournemouth remain without Adam Smith and Junior Stanislas due to injury, while Tyrone Mings also remains absent despite recently returning to training following more than seven months out. Asmir Begovic is likely to be kept busy tonight in the Cherries' goal, and Steve Cook and Nathan Ake will also need to be on top of their game if they are to keep out United's attacking players.
Dan Gosling and Jermain Defoe are the men to make way from that loss at Anfield a few days back, with Surman and Wilson being asked to take over in like-for-like changes. King in particular can often prove to be a threat, and the Norway international - formerly on Man United's books - has scored in three of his last six matches. As well as having Defoe on their bench tonight, the hosts can also turn to French forward Lys Mousset should they wish.
Jose Mourinho has made seven changes to his starting lineup with Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur in mind. Interestingly, Paul Pogba retains his spot in midfield tonight so could that mean he will be dropped at the weekend? David de Gea, one of the other four players to retain his spot from last time out, certainly will not be, while Chris Smalling and Ander Herrera are fighting for their places.
Bournemouth head into this match occupying 11th place in the Premier League table, three points adrift of a spot in the top half. Perhaps more importantly for Howe, the Cherries are 10 points above the relegation zone and could well make mathematically certain of a further 12 months in the top flight in the next 26 hours or so, requiring a win from this match and a defeat for Southampton at Leicester City tomorrow.
Worst case scenario - a Bournemouth loss and Southampton win - it is still difficult to see anything other than a comfortable final few weeks to the season for Howe's men. Relegation has not been a serious threat for a while now, and the impressive young English boss has even set his sights on overtaking Newcastle to finish in the top half for the second season running.
It is worth remembering just how badly the season started for Bournemouth, who lost their first four matches and five of their first six, with the situation looking particularly bleak come the end of November. At that point they have seven points from a possible 30, leaving them in serious trouble and leading many to believe that Howe's magic had finally run out. How wrong they were...
Howe stuck to his beliefs after a tough opening few months to the season and he has been rewarded, having seen his side shoot up the division to their current standing of 11th place. The Cherries' form since Boxing Day has been pretty impressive, losing just three of 15 since then, one of which came at the hands of Liverpool last weekend. They were in that match for a good 70 minutes, until Mohamed Salah added to Sadio Mane's early opener to kill things off.
Bournemouth boss Howe has acknowledged that his side have drawn too many games during that sequence, however, with seven in their last 15 matches, although ultimately that has proved enough to keep them ticking over nicely. The Cherries have Man United and Burnley to face of the current top seven, as well as more winnable matches against Southampton and Swansea City over the remaining three-and-a-half weeks of the season.
One win in their last eight matches does not exactly make great reading for the home side, but based on results in 2018 alone they would be in seventh place on 18 points. It is not bad going, particularly compared to the opening month when they could not buy a win. The Cherries are now potentially just one win away from confirming their place in the top flight for a fourth campaign - what a brilliant achievement that would be.
Bournemouth have also become known for keeping games entertaining right until the end, with all but one of their last 12 home league goals being scored in the second half of the match. The Cherries have also collected a league-high 18 points from losing positions, although in a way that says more about their inability to start games on the front foot. Either way, this one should remain lively right until the end.
Bournemouth have lost all seven of their previous matches against the current top four this season, conceding 19 goals and scoring just two. The most recent of those defeats came at Anfield last time out, as they were blown away 3-0 after restricting Liverpool to just one goal for 70 minutes of the contest.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Bournemouth have beaten Manchester United once in the Premier League, winning 2-1 at home in December 2015 - the first of five top-flight meeting between the sides. The Cherries have claimed two wins from 13 encounters in all competitions, with their only other victory coming in the 1984 FA Cup, but the Red Devils have won on just two of their six previous trips to this part of the south coast.
Hardly the most impressive of records for United, then, as they look to strengthen their hold on second place in the Premier League. The Red Devils are a point better off than third-placed Liverpool, who have also played a game more, so victory tonight may well kill off the Reds' hopes of hauling back their rivals in the race to finish as runners-up to Manchester City.
The title is now out of the question for United, as it has been for a good few months unofficially, following their shock 1-0 loss at home to West Brom on Sunday. The Red Devils simply lacked motivation in that match and kept their worst league result for the week after their best - a 3-2 comeback win over Man City at the Etihad Stadium. Two contrasting displays; one largely disappointing Premier League campaign.
And yet for all the talk of this being a poor season for United in the Prem, they are still frontrunners to finish second - a vast improvement on 12 months ago. Finishing any lower than their current position really would be a bitter pill to swallow, especially as it would likely mean arch-rivals Liverpool leapfrogging them into the runners-up spot. Tottenham Hotspur are still just about in the running, but two dropped points last night will make it difficult for them.
Despite the loss to Albion last weekend, though, only Burnley boast better form than United over the past seven weeks. The Red Devils had won five league matches on the spin during that period, including wins against Chelsea and Liverpool at Old Trafford, as well as the impressive 3-2 triumph away at Man City. That is not bad going at all, and if they can add the FA Cup to their collection it could be argued that this has been a more-than-decent second season for Mourinho.
If all goes to plan for Mourinho, he will have a Europa League, EFL Cup and FA Cup to show for his two seasons at Old Trafford, as well as a runners-up spot in the Premier League. That is impressive enough in its own right, but the Red Devils quite simply have to offer up more of a fight in the top flight and Champions League next term. If reports are to be believed, the Portuguese has already lined up a few players to strengthen United's squad.
United have four more league games to come after this one, including the visit of Arsenal a week on Sunday, but focus for now is very much on the FA Cup. Victory over Spurs on Saturday and then one of Chelsea or Southampton in the final is needed if Mourinho is to salvage this season, with one trophy being the bare minimum to keep his bosses happy. As far as the top four goes, three more points should well be enough to hold off Chelsea.
DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United have recovered from two goals down in each of their last two Premier League away games - the first time that any team has achieved that in the competition's history. Meanwhile, each of the last 10 goals scored by the Red Devils away from Old Trafford have come after half time.
It is also worth pointing out again that United have not lost back-to-back Premier League matches in just short of a year, and they head into this match as favourites - as they did on Sunday, of course - to come out on top. This game does offer the Red Devils a chance to quickly bounce back from the disappointment of losing to West Brom, but it is also three days before a huge clash with Tottenham, who have an extra 24 hours to prepare.
With kickoff at the Vitality Stadium now five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Eddie Howe: "One or two disappointing results and you can tumble down the league; from our perspective we've been consistent in our league position for a while, due to our form and being difficult to beat, we've been picking up points all the way through, and we don't want to lose that position."
Jose Mourinho: "It has been a long season, but we need to make sure we can compete until the end and keep that second position and we fight for being in another FA Cup final and try to win it. We all know how important it is and then get second in the league, which is not the ideal position, but it is a position we want to finish now."
Howe spot on with his comments there, pointing out how tough Bournemouth have been to beat since Boxing Day. Just three defeats in their last 15 since then, albeit with seven draws during that time, so the Red Devils may find it a little difficult to break their opponents down tonight. Rather than looking over their shoulder at the bottom three, the Cherries are more focused on finishing one spot higher.
KICKOFF! Good atmosphere being generated at the Vitality Stadium as we get up and running in this midweek clash. This is the only Premier League match taking place tonight so all focus on events on the south coast.
Bournemouth win a free kick in a promising position, which is teed up for Francis to blast against the wall. United break forward moments later, but Martial's attempted cross is blocked behind for a corner. Lively start to the contest.
Man United probing away on the south coast to no real avail at the moment. A whole new frontline for them this evening, remember, as Marcus Rashford is being used through the middle, flanked by Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.
Ander Herrera had to be alert to clear the danger as Bournemouth attempt to grab a foothold in the match. Still no real sight of goal for either side in the early stages of the match, with little to separate the teams at this point.
Fellaini is United's most advanced player at the back post, but he is flagged for offside and failed to control the ball regardless. A different option for the Red Devils, with Pogba also being given licence to push forward.
SHOT! A promising attacking move for the Cherries as Charlie Daniels sends Callum Wilson in behind. The striker pulled the ball back for Jordon Ibe on the edge of the box, only for the shot to be sent wide of David de Gea's goal.
United unable to really get Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial involved so far at the Vitality Stadium. Only that one Jordon Ibe attempt to show for both sides' attacking efforts, with neither team able to truly get going here.
Further frustration for United as a ball intended for Martial over the top goes straight through to Begovic. The players on a different wavelength at the moment, which is always a risk when you make so many changes between matches.
Herrera has a pop from long range, but his shot took a couple of deflections - the last of which came off one of his own teammates - before ending well wide. Lingard with a sloppy ball to King, allowing the Cherries to enjoy some possession.
It is fair to say that this match has yet to truly get going so far, with nearly a quarter of it played. Bournemouth do tend to keep their best until last, while United's last 10 away league goals have come in the second half of matches.
United have seen 66% of the ball in the opening quarter of the match, without doing a great deal with it. Their back four have seen more of the ball than any other set of players, with the Cherries proving to be stubborn opponents.
A very frustrating match on our hands; neither side able to retain possession for a sustained spell as we await that first shot on target. Think this is when the 'two teams cancelling each other out' cliche comes into use.
Phil Jones had to get across to block Ryan Fraser's cross into the side-netting. A lively attack for Bournemouth, who are looking the brighter of the two sides when they get the ball in behind the opposition defence.
Marcus Rashford's initial shot is blocked on the edge of the box, as is his intended through-ball for Jesse Lingard, summing up how things have gone for him and Man United so far. Nearly half an hour played here and we are still awaiting the first serious attempt.
SAVE! Right on cue, here comes that first attempt. The ball was turned over by United and Marcus Rashford was able to charge into the box and get a shot away, which you would always expect Asmir Begovic to keep out.
GOAL! BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (CHRIS SMALLING)
Fresh on the back of their first attempt of the night, Man United open the scoring through centre-back Chris Smalling - two goals in three games for him. Ander Herrera played a fine through-ball for Jesse Lingard to square for Smalling, who had the simple task of helping the ball over the line from a few yards out.
A few jeers from the home fans, who felt that Smalling was offside for that goal. The defender was behind the ball when Lingard squared it to him, though, and therefore onside. Jordon Ibe sends a cross into the middle for De Gea to gather.
SAVE! A first save for De Gea to make - if you can class it as that. Ryan Fraser took over the Bournemouth attack and managed to get a shot away on target when losing his balance, but it lacked any sort of power and conviction.
Chris Smalling's tap-in the difference between the two sides as we edge nearer to half time. The Red Devils have barely managed to get out of first gear this evening, but neither have their opponents and they now have a goal to protect.
Anthony Martial drags his shot wide when one-on-one with Asmir Begovic, but the offside flag went up anyway. The Red Devils just starting to turn the screw now in search of a second, which would put them in a commanding position.
Half time now five minutes away and United are looking more like adding to their tally than being pegged back. The first time in seven away Premier League matches that the Red Devils have netted in the first half, incidentally...
It has been a very quiet first half on the whole, with just a few shots on target at both ends combined. Chris Smalling found a way through from his effort a few yards out, while Ryan Fraser's weak attempt was easily dealt with by David de Gea.
SAVE! The Cherries have now gone behind in seven of their last eight home league matches, yet they have not lost any of those - comeback kings, indeed! Joshua King has just got a powerful shot on goal, which David de Gea could only parry.
HALF TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED
Bournemouth ended the first half well, winning a corner which Manchester United could not full clear until Fellaini got his boot to the ball. The Red Devils are the side in front at the midway point, however, thanks to Chris Smalling's fourth goal of the campaign.
Jordon Ibe dragged wide from the edge of the box in the only sight of goal at either end of the field in a quiet opening quarter to the match. United finally upped things as the half-hour mark approached, coming close through a drilled Marcus Rashford shot moments before Chris Smalling edged his side in front with his second goal in three outings.
Ander Herrera played the ball through for Jesse Lingard, who squared for an onside Smalling to tap it over the line from a few yards out. Bournemouth's response in the remainder of the first half consisted of a weak shot on target from an off-balance Ryan Fraser and a more powerful drive from Joshua King that David de Gea could only parry.
Worth remembering at this point that Bournemouth do tend to fall behind in home matches, but they have a very good record when it comes to bouncing back. This match is still not over just yet, then, and Jose Mourinho may well turn to his bench at the midway stage...
BOURNEMOUTH SUBS: Boruc, Simpson, Arter, Gosling, Pugh, Mousset, Defoe
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Pereira, Bailly, Blind, Young, Matic, Sanchez, Lukaku
RESTART! We are back up and running at the Vitality Stadium, where neither manager has made any changes for the start of the second half. Man United lead through the best team move of the first half, rounded off by Smalling.
Important headed clearance from Daniels as Rashford was lurking behind him at the back post. The visitors looking a little more dominant in the early stages of the second half, going in search of what would likely be a killer second goal.
YELLOW CARD! The first yellow card of the night is shown to Lewis cook, who halts the run of Jesse Lingard on the break. The Red Devils continuing to see more of the ball, but chances have been at a premium tonight.
Bournemouth win a corner which comes to little and United so nearly get themselves a second on the counter. Rashford's cutback was heading to Martial on the penalty spot, but a combination of two opposition players managed to cut out the pass.
As things stand United will be four points ahead of third-placed Liverpool with four games left to play. Bournemouth, who are preparing their first change of the evening, will remain in 11th place, three points adrift of the top half.
PENALTY APPEAL! Good play from Bournemouth as Fraser sends King in down the left. Wilson was in the middle but somehow failed to connect, though replays show that Shaw prevented the striker from doing so - should have been a pen.
Shaw definitely had a hold of Wilson from that last attacking move and was fortunate that the referee and his assistant did not spot it. Howe now appears to be holding off from making the game's first change for a couple of minutes.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB! Eddie Howe makes the game's first change by bringing on Lys Mousset for Jordon Ibe. Looks as though Romelu Lukaku may be introduced for the visitors shortly, meanwhile, as he has been sent to warm-up.
YELLOW CARD! Chris Smalling is shown the game's second yellow card after tangling with Callum Wilson. Really not sure what the official saw on that occasion - it was Wilson doing more of the shirt pulling on the ground.
YELLOW CARD! Steve Cook joins namesake Lewis in the referee's book for wiping out Paul Pogba. The easiest of decisions for Graham Scott to make, as United boss Mourinho brings on Romelu Lukaku for Jesse Lingard.
The game being badly broken up at the moment with the cynical fouls and substitutions. That Wilson chance seems like a lifetime ago now - can Bournemouth find some momentum again? Jones produces a good block to deny the striker once again.
United counter once again and the ball is pulled back for Marcus Rashford, whose shot is deflected behind for a corner. Prior to that, Phil Jones had plenty of his man in the Bournemouth box - another decent penalty shout.
YELLOW CARD! Lukaku's first involvement on the game is to take a free kick right on the edge of the box, which is blasted into the wall. A far more entertaining second half, it must be said, with both teams looking to find the game's second goal. Surman is late on Herrera and sees yellow.
GOAL! BOURNEMOUTH 0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (ROMELU LUKAKU)
United surely kill the game off with this second goal, given to them by a fine Romelu Lukaku finish. Paul Pogba slipped the ball through and the Belgian striker clipped it over Asmir Begovic. Marcus Rashford, now being used in a wide position to compensate for Lukaku's introduction, cut inside and tested Begovic moments beforehand.
SUBS! Twenty-seven goals for the season for Lukaku now, as he continues to impress in a mixed campaign for his side. Andrew Surman makes way for Dan Gosling in the Cherries' second change; Nemanja Matic is on for Ander Herrera in the Red Devils' latest alteration.
Bournemouth have not really offered enough in an attacking sense tonight, as was the case at Anfield a few days back, though Howe will rightly argue that his side could well have had a penalty with the scoreline at 1-0.
United now strolling through this match, taking control of possession to see things through in a professional manner. Versatile defender Daley Blind is now being readied to come on for his first appearance in more than three months.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUB! Paul Pogba, who may or may not start at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, makes way for Daley Blind with 10 minutes to go. A good showing from the Frenchman tonight - certainly better than his last performance.
All three United changes have now been made, but Howe still has one to make and could well bring on Defoe for the closing stages. One goal for the Cherries will certainly make things a little more interesting in the closing stages.
BOURNEMOUTH SUB! Lys Mousset hammers the ball over the crossbar from a tight angle, with David de Gea happy to watch it sail over. Here comes that final change of the evening - Jermain Defoe is on for Joshua King.
United have looked pretty strong at the back tonight, bar one blip that could have seen a penalty awarded to the opposition for Shaw's infringement. The hosts probing away at the moment but they do not particularly look like scoring.
Daley Blind with a comical air shot, drawing plenty of cheers from the home fans. Ryan Fraser sends a decent ball into the box towards Jermain Defoe, which needed to be headed behind for a corner. The set piece, once again, comes to little.
We are now into added time at the Vitality Stadium, of which we will play a further four minutes. A case of job done for United, who made seven changes this evening but have managed to get over the line pretty comfortably in the end.
Man United under no real threat as we enter the final two minutes of the contest. Mourinho will be happy with his side's performance tonight - they have not been brilliant but the three points are deserved on the balance of things.
FULL TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-2 MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United move four points clear of Liverpool in the race to finish second thanks to goals from Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku. The Red Devils were not exactly at their free-flowing best tonight, but Jose Mourinho will be happy enough having made seven changes to his starting lineup on the south coast.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the Vitality Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction will be available elsewhere on the site in due course. Thanks for joining!
