Manchester United defeated Bournemouth 3-0 at Old Trafford to move level on points with third-placed Newcastle in the Premier League table
Casemiro's controlled volley from Christian Eriksen's free-kick put Erik ten Hag's side in front midway through the first half before Luke Shaw doubled the advantage early in the second half by finishing a fine team goal
 Shaw's brilliant pass set up Marcus Rashford for the third
Ten Hag had made changes, welcoming Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford back to the team while Donny van de Beek started his first Premier League game at home for 19 months - although he was forced off injured before half-time following a strong challenge
But that did nothing to halt United's momentum - Alejandro Garnacho coming on to set up the second goal
 It was a thoroughly deserved victory for United, their sixth in succession in all competitions
 Bournemouth remain just two points above the relegation zone
Ten Hag tweaked his shape for this one with Bruno Fernandes starting off on the right wing in the absence of the injured Antony but there tends to be a sense of continuity about United these days
 It helps that Casemiro is at the heart of that midfield
The Brazilian was the outstanding player on the pitch in the first half, his passing range and ability to break up play being particularly impressive
 But he also made the difference in front of goal here - measuring his volley beautifully to convert Eriksen's cross from the left
It was another star of United's season who was the architect for the next two
 Shaw had been filling in at centre-back of late but in his preferred position of full-back he continued his good form
 Driving at the Bournemouth defence from deep, he cut through them
After picking out Fernandes, the Portuguese helped the ball on to Garnacho and his cross was finished neatly by Shaw on his weaker right foot
 The smile on his face suggested that might have surprised him but his pass for the third goal reflected his confidence
Lofting the ball behind the Bournemouth defence, he expertly found Fernandes and the playmaker's unselfish square pass found Rashford unmarked in the middle of the box
 The England man did the rest - scoring for the fourth consecutive match
Bournemouth did improve once two goals down
 David de Gea made a trio of saves in quick succession just before the hour mark and Siriki Dembele's cross even struck the bar in stoppage time, but by then it was far too late
 It is seven defeats in eight for them now
For United, there is real hope that the future is rather brighter
 Garnacho sums up the verve with which they are playing right now, and was unlucky not to get himself on the scoresheet late in the game when his effort came off the post
 The joy that greeted World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez when he was introduced summed up the current mood around the club
The feel-good factor is back at Old Trafford and the gap to leaders Arsenal is down to nine points
 With Casemiro, Shaw and the rest in this form, expect their progress to continue
"It was like a tennis match," said Ten Hag in the press conference after the game
 "We don't want to play tennis we want to play football
 Keep possession
 It costs so much energy for the back line
 They take a lot of risks and the front players struggle to get back
"We are still in a process
 In the first half, we control the game but don't play brilliantly
 In the second half, we make a great counter
 But we have to be smart
 Stay compact
 Make them run
 You will have chances
"We feel strong but we only stay strong if we do our jobs and give 100 per cent in every situation
 I did not have that feeling
 I had a feeling we thought it was easy and the game was gone
 But if they make it 2-1 then the game is not gone
"The belief is growing and it is good to have that feeling but we have to understand that we have to give 100 per cent in every game
""Nobody wants to lose 3-0 and we did not deserve to lose 3-0 but if you are going to lose 3-0 that is the way to do it," said Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil afterwards
"In the second half, we tried to be slightly more aggressive, press slightly more often, but we get one slightly wrong
 We had six big chances and David de Gea [was] making good saves
 I thought the majority of United's chances came after we opened the pitch up
"The only disappointment is that if we arrive in those positions we have to score the goal
 At 2-1 it could have been different
 The important thing is that it looked like us today
 It has done apart from the Palace game
 If we produce that every time we will climb the table
" host  in the FA Cup third round on Friday at 8pm before welcoming  to Old Trafford on January 10, also at 8pm, in the Carabao Cup quarter-final
United return to Premier League action on January 14 at 12
30pm when rivals  make the trip to Old Trafford
 host  in the FA Cup third round on Saturday at 3pm before travelling to  in the Premier League on January 14 at 5
30pm, live on 
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