Manchester United 4-1 Bournemouth: 5 Talking Points, Premier League 2018/19

Manchester United took on Bournemouth at Old Trafford, and beat them comfortably, in the end, to wrap up a topsy-turvy calendar year.

Paul Pogba continued his form as he opened the scoring after just five minutes, tapping in after a sizzling solo run from Marcus Rashford. Pogba doubled the lead when he headed in from Ander Herrera's cross. Rashford made it 3-0 when he latched on to Anthony Martial's cross.

Nathan Ake pulled one back for the visitors on the stroke of half-time, but United were in a comfortable position. Substitute Romelu Lukaku rounded off the scoring in the second half when he was put through by Pogba. Eric Bailly was sent off late on due to a reckless challenge on Ryan Fraser.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picked up his third consecutive win to inflict more misery upon counterpart Eddie Howe. United are now just three points behind Arsenal, whereas Bournemouth are in 12th place.

Here are the major talking points from the game.

#5 Pogba runs the show at Old Trafford

He's having fun, right?

Whoa. What a performance. The stage that is Old Trafford has always needed someone to seize it and perform, and Paul Pogba did just that against Bournemouth. The Frenchman starred for Solskjaer, as he led his side to victory.

He opened the scoring for United when his run into the box was rewarded by a superb cross. A simple finish was necessary, and they were up and running. The second came by virtue of a header, following another great run into the box. Pogba has really reveled in his advanced role under Solskjaer, and he exploited it to great effect. In the second half, he turned provider, and Lukaku rounded off the scoring from his sublime pass.

Pogba had the most shots, key passes and passes in the final third in the game. It looks as though Mourinho had put the shackles on him, failing to use him wisely. Solskjaer has certainly released them, and the results are devastating. He's scoring again, he's dancing again, and he's leading his side to wins again. Talk about unleashing the beast.

#4 Bournemouth's defense doing them no favours

Howe has some issues to sort out

Around two months ago, Manchester United and Bournemouth were battling it out for sixth place. That time seems a long time ago for the Cherries, and the gap is nine points now. A major reason for the drop has been their defence.

Bournemouth have conceded 37 goals in the league, which is just 6 less than the league's worst total of 43 conceded by Fulham. The backline has worsened especially in recent games. In the last seven league games, they have let in 19 goals, and haven't kept a single clean sheet. Last time they were hammered 5-0 by Tottenham, and United did something similar.

The injuries have not helped either. Trevor Francis and Adam Smith were ruled out prior to the game, and Charlie Daniels started the game at centre-back. Nathan Ake hobbled off in the game, which further reduced their options at the back. If Eddie Howe wants to reinvigorate his side, improving the defence will be the top priority.

#3 United back in the hunt for top four?

Three games, three wins

When United lost at Anfield a couple of weeks ago, the signs were bleak for them. At that time, they were 19 points off the top of the table and 11 points behind fourth place. Qualifying for next season's Champions League was a distant possibility at best.

Fast forward three games, and United have picked up nine points. They have played some sizzling football, and things are looking up. The gap to Arsenal has been cut to just three points, and Chelsea in fourth place are eight points ahead. Now that is still quite the gap, but getting there is much likely than it seemed two weeks ago.

United's fixtures for the next two months look really easy on paper, and they have a chance to make some headway. Achieving top four is as good as it will get for United, and the fans can be hopeful of the same

#2 Haphazard formation works a treat for Solskjaer

Here's United's average formation from the game

Solskjaer opted for a front three of Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial. This gave way to a fluid attack, and United's formation was not set in stone.

Paul Pogba played as a really advanced midfielder, maintaining a much higher position than Ander Herrera on the right. Lingard was constantly switching flanks, and his average position shows just that. This gave Ashley Young a lot of space to exploit on the right, and he did so. The long diagonal from Pogba to Young was on throughout the game.

Rashford was the most advanced, and he also dropped to the right wing often. The first goal came as a result of that. The fluid system seems to be working for Solskjaer. Romelu Lukaku, who is an orthodox striker, could change that. But then again, given United's recent form, he might not.

#1 Bailly gives flashes of his ability but remains a liability

Bailly was sent off in the second half

Eric Bailly's game was a small insight into what his career at Manchester United has been thus far. He showed glimpses of his ability, but his rash tackle put United in a vulnerable position. The complexion of the game at the time meant that the red card had little effect, but it was not welcome by any means.

Bailly is a physically intimidating defender, who is fast and agile at the same time. On his day, he is a match for any attacker. However, he is prone to lapses of concentration at times. His challenge on Fraser was a stupid one, and referee Lee Mason had no choice but to send him off.

Phil Jones was benched for Bailly after the former started the two games before that. If Bailly can't put away these moments of stupidity, Jones could put him out of the starting eleven.