Chris Sutton has made a shock prediction for Monday’s Premier League clash between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
Bournemouth’s strong start to the season came to an abrupt end in November with the Cherries now without a win in their last six games.
Andoni Iraola’s side lost back-to-back away matches at Manchester City and Aston Villa before being held to a 2-2 draw at home by West Ham.
The south coast club then threw away a two-goal lead at Sunderland to lose 3-2 and were beaten at home by Everton before a draw with Chelsea.
Bournemouth’s alarming form has seen them drop to 13th – and despite an impressive recent record against the Red Devils – the Cherries will very much be underdogs against a United team who currently sit in sixth place.
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But Sutton has surprisingly tipped Bournemouth to pick up all three points when they lock horns with Ruben Amorim’s men on Monday night at 8pm.
‘Bournemouth are on a terrible run of results but they have got a great record at Old Trafford, winning 3-0 there in December in each of the the past two seasons,’ former striker and football pundit Sutton told the BBC.
‘I remember as a player, there were some teams I played against, or stadiums I played at, where I just felt we were going to get a good result, regardless of form.
‘Maybe this is one of those games, and venues, for Andoni Iraola and his players. It is certainly the time of year for them to go to Old Trafford and win.
‘So, while I am going to get pelted by Manchester United fans for this, I am going to back Bournemouth to stop the rot, and edge this one to make it a hat-trick of wins over United.
‘Fair play to Amorim, though. Even if United do lose this game, then he has definitely steadied the ship since Bournemouth won 3-0 here for the second time, in December 2024.
‘That defeat was United’s third in four games and left them 13th at Christmas.
‘It felt like it was permanently pantomime season at Old Trafford but we are no longer at the stage where there is a fervour for Amorim to be sacked every other game.
‘United are still not very convincing a lot of the time, but they are in a much better place, looking up the table and eyeing the top four.
‘Amorim deserves some credit for that, even if there is still a lot of work to do… Manchester United 1-2 Bournemouth.’
United have only lost one of their last nine games in the Premier League and have made huge improvements since their disastrous 2024-25 campaign, in which they finished 15th and didn’t land any silverware.
The Red Devils smashed Wolves 4-1 in their last match thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount.
United are only six points behind second-placed Manchester City as they look to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League this season.