Match report: Burnley 1-1 Manchester United
Paul Pogba’s first-half strike was cancelled out by a clinical Jay Rodriquez effort at Turf Moor on Tuesday night, as Manchester United dropped more Premier League points in a 1-1 draw against Burnley.
How did United set up?
Despite more than 120 minutes of football against Middlesbrough only a matter of days ago, there were no fresh injury concerns for Ralf Rangnick to contend with heading into the clash against the Clarets. However, Fred and Alex Telles are believed to be in isolation following positive Covid-19 tests, so were unavailable for the game as a result.
The majority of the team remained the same, perhaps justifiable following good periods of play in the FA Cup, particularly in the first half.
The changes came in the form of David De Gea and Edison Cavani, who replaced Dean Henderson and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively.
The German interim boss stuck with the 4-3-3 that he seems to have grown fond to of late.
Here was the starting lineup and substitutes:
Introducing your United starting XI đź’Ş#MUFC | #BURMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 8, 2022
Starting XI: David De Gea (GK), Diogo Dalot (RB), Raphael Varane (CB), Harry Maguire (CB), Luke Shaw (LB), Scott McTominay (CDM), Pogba (CM), Bruno Fernandes (CM) Marcus Rashford (RW), Jadon Sancho (LW), Edison Cavani (ST).
Subs: Dean Henderson, Phil Jones, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelöf, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Anthony Elanga, Cristiano Ronaldo.
How it went down
First half
The game started off as many would have expected it to; the opening minutes were scrappy, with both sides looking to contest second balls on a wet and windy evening at Turf Moor. It was after the 10th minute when United really grabbed hold of possession and made things happen.
A superb set-piece delivery from Fernandes was met by the head of Varane, who nodded the ball beyond Nick Pope into the far corner. Following a couple of minutes of VAR review, the strike was chalked off, with Maguire deemed to have been interfering with play from an offside position as the ball was swung into the box in the 12th minute.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe offside call didn’t dampen the away side’s momentum, though, with Pogba striking just six minutes later to give his side the lead. Shaw pulled back an enticing ball across the box that was met by the right foot of his French teammate, who placed the ball beyond the reach of the Burnley keeper with precision.
The Reds looked like their lead had been doubled just minutes after the opener, as Josh Brownhill turned Rashford’s cross into his own net. Like Varane’s effort, the goal was chalked off, this time for a foul on Erik Pieters. It was a controversial call, with the away supporters feeling unlucky not to be three goals to the good.
That was about as good as the half got. Burnley were kept at bay by a resolute United defence, with any attacking play from either side ultimately coming to nothing.
Second half
The second period of play was in stark contrast to the first. Rangnick’s side looked in cruise control for large periods of the first half, but all composure was lost following the interval.
Embed from Getty ImagesBurnley came out with a real intensity that they had been lacking. The players in claret and blue were winning second balls, and their efforts were rewarded with an early strike. Wout Weghorst turned Maguire like he wasn’t even there, subsequently playing Rodriguez in behind, and the Englishman poked it beyond De Gea with accuracy.
The home team maintained their spirit for the remainder of the half. Weghorst rifled a volley from outside the area, but it was met by a strong hand from United’s Spanish shot-stopper. Other than that, the hosts failed to create an awful lot.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut neither did United, for that matter. To think that the equaliser came in the 47th minute and that United went on to create so little was disappointing. Ronaldo came on in the 68th minute, but could only find himself firing blanks from crosses. Lingard and Elanga were thrown on in the final ten minutes in an attempt to resurrect a lead, but their impact was minimal.
The game fizzled out swiftly, with Sean Dyche undoubtedly the happier of the two managers.
Final score: Burnley 1-1 Manchester United (Rodriguez, 47’) (Pogba, 18’)
Man of the match
Embed from Getty ImagesPicking a man of the match is a tough one for a game of two halves. Most United players looked good in the first half, and most looked poor in the second.
With that being said, Sancho looked superb when his team were on top. Linking up well with Shaw down the left side, the ÂŁ72m man looked tidy in possession and dangerous with his chance creation.
With Greenwood off the scene currently, the Englishman will have more and more opportunities to play. He scored against Middlesbrough, and he looked confident tonight in his link-up play.
Sadly, he couldn’t maintain the level for the second half, but neither could any of his teammates.
The bigger picture
Embed from Getty ImagesWith 64% possession, 22 shots registered and 10 corners across the entire game, it is gutting for fans that the team have again dropped points in the league. Those stats suggest a dominant display from United, but the reality was similar to how it was in the FA Cup- not clinical and ultimately costly.
Rangnick’s side only managed to create 1 clear-cut chance. Not good enough for this set of players in the slightest.
The ÂŁ80m club captain looked no better than Ben Mee or James Tarkowski today.
Embed from Getty ImagesUnited now sit 5th in the table, a point behind West Ham with a game in hand. However, this looks bleak when you look at the teams below. Arsenal, Spurs and Wolves (6th, 7th and 8th respectively) can all leapfrog the Red Devils if they win their games in hand. This is a harrowing thought considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had spoken about a title challenge come May 2022.
It seems strange to say, but performances are actually improving when considering the poor showings early on in Rangnick’s reign. For periods in games, the team are looking good, but it has to now be about building consistency across the course of ninety minutes, not just sporadic bursts of good play whenever the players feel like it.
Next up for Manchester United is Southampton at Old Trafford. The league game will take place at 12:30 (BST) this coming Saturday afternoon, with the team in dire need of a win.
