Amorim's AC Milan humiliated 3-0 at Bournemouth as red card chaos compounds Europa League misery

Ruben Amorim’s first return to English football since leaving Manchester United ended in humiliation at Vitality Stadium on Thursday, as his AC Milan side were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in the Europa League, dropping the Italian giants to 24th in the competition’s standings.

The evening unravelled early for Milan when goalkeeper Mike Maignan was sent off for a double-handed push into the face of Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams. Amorim then compounded the chaos by attempting to introduce a replacement keeper without first substituting an outfield player — an error that drew widespread attention and offered an uncomfortable echo of his troubled spell at Old Trafford.

Justin Kluivert had already given Bournemouth the lead before Marcus Tavernier converted the resulting penalty to make it 2-0. Amine Adli curled in a free-kick in the second half to complete the scoring and send the home crowd into full voice. As the final whistle approached, Bournemouth supporters serenaded the visiting dugout with chants of “Ruben Amorim, it’s happened again” — a reference to the two occasions Amorim faced the Cherries as United manager without winning, including a 3-0 home defeat in December 2024 and a 4-4 draw at Old Trafford the following year.

Amorim was sacked by United in January after a 14-month tenure that yielded sixth place in the Premier League despite a £250 million summer outlay on new signings. He was replaced by Michael Carrick, who steered the club back into the Champions League but is now under significant pressure of his own, having won just two of his first 11 games in all competitions.

At Milan, Amorim has retained the three-at-the-back system that drew persistent criticism during his time at United. The club sit fourth in Serie A, but Thursday’s result leaves them in a precarious Europa League position. Amorim had suggested earlier this season that tactical flexibility remained an option, saying after a 2-0 defeat to Benfica: “We lost tonight, but we will find the solutions to adapt to these games, because we need to create an idea, but we also need to win, so of course we can adapt.” On the evidence of Bournemouth, those solutions have yet to arrive.