Man United and Bournemouth draw 4-4 in Premier League thriller

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United drew with Bournemouth 4-4 in one of the best games in the Premier League on Monday.

United coach Ruben Amorim said before the match that “playing against Bournemouth is never fun” and they were prophetic words on a night his side had most of the opportunities but still came away with only a point.

The Cherries had beaten United 3-0 in their last two visits to Old Trafford but there seemed little chance of that happening again as the home side took control from the off and was a goal up after 13 minutes.

Diogo Dalot’s lofted cross fell to Amad Diallo to nod in almost on the goal line.

United dominated a pulsating first half but Antoine Semenyo brought Bournemouth level after 40 minutes. Poor defending saw United lose the ball on the left flank and Semenyo strode forward and sent an angled shot under Senne Lammens.

Casemiro restored United’s lead on the stroke of halftime when he headed home from a Bruno Fernandes corner. Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic flapped at the Brazilian’s effort.

“It was a fun game for everyone at home,” Amorim said. "If you look at the game you can think we lost the two points in the second half. I think we lost the two points in the first half. I think we should have more goals, we should have a different result at halftime.

“It was then similar to Nottingham (Forest, 2-2 in November) where we suffered two goals really fast, but we managed to get back to take the advantage and then we need to close the game out.”

After the break, the visitors scored twice in six minutes to take the lead for the first time.

Evanilson finished superbly after only 37 seconds thanks to a great through ball from Marcus Tavernier, and six minutes later Tavernier curled a left-foot shot around the United wall to put Bournemouth 3-2 ahead and silence the home crowd.

United rallied and a superb free kick from Fernandes, so often a savior, sailed into the top corner with 13 minutes left and two minutes later Matheus Cunha got the break of the ball inside the box and finished clinically to put the home side back in front at 4-3.

And yet Bournemouth had its own reserves of resilience to come back a third time in the match.

With six minutes remaining Eli Junior Kroupi finished brilliantly with one-touch control and a curling side-footer past Lammens.

“It is one the fans will definitely enjoy,” Tavernier said, “but for us on the pitch it was a bit frustrating. We started the first half very slow but stayed in the game and then in the second came out and did what we had to do.

“The start of the second half was amazing for us on the pitch. We put ourselves in an amazing position in the game. Unfortunately, we conceded such sloppy goals.”

The result lifted Manchester United into sixth place. Bournemouth, winless in seven league games, was 13th.

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Manchester United players celebrate after a goal during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes waits to execute a free kick during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United players celebrate after a goal during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Bournemouth's Marcus Tavernier, left, and Evanilson celebrate a goal during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United players celebrate after a goal during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha celebrates after scoring during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes scores from a free kick during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes walks off the pitch after a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupicelebrates after scoring during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth in Manchester, England, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

CAIRO (AP) — Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Sunday in a fresh bid to restart negotiations between Iran and the U.S., as the American military said it shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz that threatened international maritime traffic.

The latest action came as the U.S. administration presses Iran to make a deal to end the war in the Middle East, which has strained the global economy and threatened a hunger crisis in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

The heaviest fighting ended with a preliminary ceasefire on April 8, but the sides have not been able to agree on a long-term end to the war.

Fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continued, meanwhile, despite last week's announcement that a U.S.-brokered ceasefire had been extended.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Tehran to deliver a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Iranian state-run IRNA news agency.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was named the Islamic Republic’s ruler after his father was killed on the first day of the war on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel lauched a bombardment campaign against Iran.

Naqvi met with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni late Saturday, and held talks Sunday morning with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to official Iranian media.

There were no details on the contents of the message. Pakistani authorities have said Islamabad, with support from regional countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, has been working to help bridge differences between the United States and Iran and encourage efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the new ceasefire in Lebanon, which was announced during U.S-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington last week, did not appear to be holding.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has rejected the U.S.-brokered deal and instead endorsed Iran’s demand that ending the war in Lebanon be part of the negotiations with the U.S.

Israel struck what it said were over 150 Hezbollah military sites over the weekend, including rocket launchers and command centers, across southern Lebanon.

Early Sunday, Israel identified at least five projectiles launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel, which were intercepted or fell in open areas. Hezbollah did not immediately claim to have fired projectiles at Israel. However, the militant group acknowledged it attacked Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the Israeli military said.

The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south in its latest ground invasion, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for oil and gas. Its closure has jolted the world economy.

Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, wants to press ahead with Israel’s offensive until he considers Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

Lebanon’s army commander, Gen. Rodolphe Haikal, headed to Pakistan Saturday at the invitation of Pakistan’s army chief. The Lebanese army gave no further details and did not say whether it is related to Pakistan’s mediation between Iran and the U.S.

The U.S. military said Saturday that it had shot down several Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, and struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts U.S. forces in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The U.S. military said there were no reports of harm to U.S. personnel.

Earlier in the month, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens.

The U.S. military has kept up its blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the strait, a crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments.

Energy prices have spiked, posing political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of midterm congressional elections in November.

Chehayeb reported from Beirut and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel.

A man walks past anti-U.S. graffiti painted on the wall of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk under a banner showing portraits of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and the slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)