A Manchester United away end drenched in south coast sunshine celebrated Rasmus Hojlund's injury-time equaliser by singing about future ambitions. This was a game to be ticked over and in salvaging a point from what had looked like being another desperate day, they did so without the humiliation of a 16th Premier League defeat.
Until Hojlund got a goal that could prove vital in the context of his own season, this had been another afternoon of toil for Ruben Amorim's side. They benefited from the red card shown to Evanilson midway through the second half to generate a head of steam, finally, but when it was 11 vs 11 they looked the inferior team.
They will at least head to the Basque Country with a striker back in the hunt for goals. Hojlund's equaliser was an opportunistic goal, poking Manuel Ugarte's shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga. Until then, it had been an afternoon of frustration once again for the Dane.
The United fans had begun the afternoon by belting out their Europa League anthem for the season. 'For United are going to Bilbao' has been gaining traction recently and this week they will do exactly that, although the true meaning of the song is that they will return there for the Europa League final.
They have certainly saved their best performances for Europe, where the slower pace of the games has been as much a help as the inferior standard of opposition. Playing second legs at Old Trafford has also been a significant advantage, one that will be repeated against Athletic Club.
But having seen off Real Sociedad and Lyon in the knockout stages, they will need to raise their game to beat the Basque side who sit a comfortable fourth and boast the best defensive record in Spain. They have the added motivation of reaching a final that will be played in their San Mames Stadium.
Ernesto Valverde's side had this weekend off, with La Liga taking a break so that the Copa del Rey final could take centre stage, which it duly did. If Athletic's squad had tuned in to events at the Vitality Stadium, they might have felt emboldened to order another jug of Sangria.
United were second best until the red card changed the game and it's hard to see Athletic's defence losing any sleep over an attack that remains so disjointed. Hojlund had berated Andre Onana for one direct pass to him and then took his anger out on the pitch when he slipped while preparing to attack a Patrick Dorgu cross.
It took Hojlund until the 96th minute to have a shot in a game in which United had 25. But he did score from it and he was in the perfect position for a striker.
That was his 25th shot of the Premier League season, for his fourth goal. Compare his cause with that of Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine had eight shots against the Cherries, taking his seasonal tally to 81. In one game, he had a third of the shots that Hojlund has had in 29 games.
But that Garnacho's greater output has resulted in just one more goal says a lot about their respective conversion rates. Hojlund gets a lot of deserved criticism for his efforts as United's No.9, but Garnacho can be just as wasteful, taking on shots from impossible angles or Hail Mary's when patience is called for.
Even when Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men, it was Garnacho firing off the shots while Hojlund toiled for involvement. One 22-yard Garnacho shot through a fog of bodies from a short corner seemed pointless.
Just as it looked like United would head to Bilbao after a fourth defeat in five Premier League games, Hojlund struck. He waved his fist at the away end in celebration and now needs to harness that feeling for two crucial Europa League semi-final ties.
If United can get the ball to him, rather than Garnacho, then they might find they have more success in front of goal.
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