Josh King never played for Manchester United's first team in five years at Old Trafford but the Norwegian international claimed an unexpected place in the club's lore by consigning them to a humbling defeat on Saturday.
The Bournemouth striker admitted his winning goal in the little south-coast club's fairytale 2-1 Premier League home victory over United meant a lot to him after spending so long battling to make his name with England's most famous club.
Oslo-born King, a 23-year-old who has a Norwegian mother and a Gambian father, found space in the area from a well-worked corner routine to rifle home the 54th minute winner which will be enshrined in Dean Court annals as one of the Cherries' finest moments a week after an equally staggering triumph at Chelsea.
"I've come from United, I spent a lot of time there," King reflected on Sky Sports. "I've moved on now, doing my best every week for Bournemouth, but to get a goal against your old team means a lot. I've practised on that (corner) drill and missed the chance every time but I'm glad it went in today."
The Cherries' rise -- their win puts them up to 14th, a point and a place above Chelsea -- may have surprised some people but not King, who after signing for United as a 16-year-old never made the grade there as he was waylaid by injuries.
Asked if he could ever have imagined successive wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, he said: "I could, with the players we've got and the manager (Eddie Howe) we've got. We were a bit unlucky at the start of the season."
Bournemouth had got off to the perfect start on Saturday when an inswinging corner from the excellent man of the match Junior Stanislas befuddled United keeper David de Gea and went straight in with less than two minutes on the clock.
The in-form striker admitted that, although of course he had had no intention of going for goal, he had actually nearly scored from a very similar effort in training recently.
Although Bournemouth have lost key players to injury like captain Tommy Elphick and striker Callum Wilson, Stanislas felt their heroics demonstrated why they were equipped for survival, despite their lack of resources compared to the league's elite.
"It definitely gives us belief we can stay up," he said.
Comments
0 comment