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As it happenedended

Bournemouth vs Manchester United, Premier League LIVE: Follow goal updates from the Vitality Stadium

Follow live coverage from the Vitality Stadium

Sam Dymond
Wednesday 18 April 2018 20:00 BST
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Bournemouth host United this evening
Bournemouth host United this evening (Getty)

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Manchester United will be looking to bounce back after their humiliating home defeat by West Brom over the weekend when they travel to face AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Jose Mourinho’s side sit second in the Premier League, a position they will be looking to consolidate, with Liverpool only one point behind.

Eddie Howe’s men, meanwhile, could secure their Premier League status for a fourth consecutive campaign with a win. The Cherries are under no threat from relegation, currently ten points clear of the drop zone, but three points would certainly confirm their place in the top flight next term.

Follow live coverage of the match below.

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.

Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.

Team news is on the way...

Vithushan Ehantharajah18 April 2018 18:29

Bournemouth v Manchester United

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 18:46

Let's a take a look at those intriguing line-ups on the south coast...

...where Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has made made two changes to his team after they were swiped aside by Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday. Andrew Surman comes in to the midfield at the expense of Dan Gosling while Callum Wilson replaces Jermain Defoe in attack. Both of the players missing out drop to the bench.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, had threatened to ring the changes after Sunday's embarrassing home defeat to West Bromwich Albion and the Manchester United manage doesn't disappoint. Only four players - David de Gea, Chris Smalling, Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba - remain in the starting XI from the weekend as seven new faces come in. Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones and Luke Shaw return to the defence, Marouane Fellaini and Jesse Lingard are in midfield while youngsters Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are fielded in attack. With Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with Spurs on the horizon, Ashley Young, Nemanja Matic, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku drop to the bench while Antonio Valencia, Victor Lindelof and Juan Mata miss out all together.

Bournemouth: Begovic, Francis, S. Cook, Ake, Daniels, Fraser, L. Cook, Surman, Ibe, King, Wilson

Subs: Boruc, Gosling, Pugh, Arter, Defoe, Mousset, Simpson

Manchester United: De Gea, Darmian, Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Fellaini, Herrera, Pogba, Lingard, Rashford, Martial

Subs: Castro Pereira, Bailly, Blind, Young, Matic Sanchez, Lukaku

Referee: Graham Scott

Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez will be keeping each other warm on the Manchester United bench. 

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 18:51

Nemanja Matic had started all 33 Premier League games since joining Manchester United from Chelsea in the summer.

The Serbian midfielder is on the bench this evening.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:10

The Manchester United team news may have given the home fans a boost ahead of kick-off, but Bournemouth followers will know that they haven't had much joy against the Red Devils since their memorable first Premier League meeting.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:19

Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of kick-off and it's clear that the Bournemouth manager is eyeing another famous victory at Dean Court despite the visitors' strength in depth.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:31

There are just five minutes until kick-off on the south coast.

A win for Manchester United this evening will take them four points clear of Liverpool in the race for...erm...second with four games left to play.

A home victory, meanwhile, will have the Cherries knocking on the door of the top half in the Premier League, and all but guarantee  a fourth successive season at the highest level of English football.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:40

The teams emerge from the pokey tunnel under the stand at Dean Court to a bright spring evening. There may be less than 11,000 inside this small stadium but both sets of fans are making a fair amount of noise. They expect their teams to deliver tonight.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:45

KICK-OFF: All white? Manchester United in their changed strip of white shirts, white shorts and white socks get things going at Dean Court, kicking from left to right as we look. Playing for a place in Saturday's semi-final, playing for their futures or purely playing for pride, the eleven selected by Jose Mourinho have much to prove against a determined Bournemouth outfit who never know when they're beaten.

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:45

3 mins: Early pressure from Bournemouth brings them an early free-kick on the edge of the Manchester United box. Charlie Daniels looks like the man ready to go for goal, but the left-back instead tees up Simon Francis who sees his low strike clatter into the wall. 

Sam Dymond18 April 2018 19:50

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