Manchester United moved to within just a point of securing Champions League qualification after edging past AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this afternoon, with Erik ten Hag's men ending their recent away woes with a much-needed 1-0 win.

Having gone into the game with a rather grim record on the road this season – notably losing away to both West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion in recent times – the Red Devils made the perfect start this time around, with influential midfielder, Casemiro, producing a stunning, acrobatic finish from close range.

With United going on to ultimately labour to victory in what was a rather unconvincing, all-round display, the top-four hopefuls were left thankful for the "big performance" of the ex-Real Madrid man, according to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell, as the Brazil international looked 'back to his best' – as per Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.

Amid a battling, hard-fought encounter, the 31-year-old was a real effective presence at both ends of the pitch, notably winning nine duels on the day as a marker of his ball-winning prowess, as well as contributing three key passes as a sign of his creative quality.

The summer signing was not alone in having helped teammate David De Gea to a 17th Premier League clean sheet of the season, however, with centre-back star, Victor Lindelof also having been "excellent" on the south coast, in the words of Luckhurst.

How did Lindelof perform against Bournemouth?

With Lisandro Martinez out for the season – and with Harry Maguire resigned to a watching brief – Lindelof has stepped up as the consistent presence in the backline of late, having now made nine successive starts for Ten Hag's side.

The Sweden international appears to have particularly thrived amid the return of Raphael Varane from injury in recent games, with the aforementioned Whitwell stating that the pair "look good together" in the centre of defence.

While substitute Kieffer Moore did burst clear late on to produce a rare attempt on goal for the Cherries, that was one of few occasions in which the visitors looked like being breached, such was the commanding nature of both Varane and Lindelof's performance.

In the case of the latter man, the £120k-per-week machine may have only won five of his 11 total duels, although he was particularly adept at snuffing out the danger after making six clearances and registering three tackles.

The 79-touch ace – who also showed his composure on the ball after recording a 90% pass accuracy rate – was rewarded for his solid display with a 7.2 match rating, as per Sofascore, having been crucial in nudging the Old Trafford outfit ever closer to securing a place in Europe's premier competition.

With the FA Cup final looming, it looks likely to be the defensive axis of Varane and Lindelof that will be tasked with keeping a certain Erling Haaland quiet…