Manchester United clashed heads with Burnley at Old Trafford yesterday night looking to continue their remarkable winning run under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The Red Devils began the match with a lot of attacking intent but it was the away side who carved out the better chances in the game. The Mancunian outfit failed to get a shot on target in the first half as both teams went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
The second half was more entertaining with both sides going all out for the three points. Burnley made the breakthrough in the 51st minute through Ashley Barnes’ emphatic finish before Chris Wood scored their second goal of the night in the 81st minute. However, the home team refused to give up without a fight and found a way back into the game through Paul Pogba’s successful penalty. It was Victor Lindelof who popped up with the equaliser in injury-time to help his team get a point out of the contest. The match finished 2-2 with both teams sharing the spoils on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Man United player performed during the game against the Clarets.
GK: David De Gea – 5/10
The Spanish couldn’t do much about Ashley Barnes’ powerful finish and ended up letting in two goals during the game which would disappoint him.
RB: Ashley Young – 6/10
The English full-back started the game a bit slowly but put in a solid display in the second half.
CB: Victor Lindelöf – 7/10
He lost track of Chris Wood in the lead up to Burnley’s second goal. However, the Swede made amends by scoring a late equaliser in injury-time.
CB: Phil Jones – 4.5/10
The English centre-back was not able to deal with Ashley Barnes’ threat and was guilty of making some defensive errors during the contest.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6/10
The former Southampton left-back was one of the better players on the pitch in the first half. However, despite all his attempts to stretch the pitch down the left flank, he was not able to create many chances in the final third.
CM: Andreas Pereira – 3/10
The youngster looked like a fish out of the water all through the match. Pereira looked panicked while on possession of the ball and his inexcusable mistake led to Barnes’ opening goal in the second half which ultimately cost his side two points on the night.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 5/10
The Serbian midfielder failed to make an impact going forward as he lacked creativity in midfield. He was also not at his usual best at shielding the Man United backline during the game which is not expected from a player of his standards.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6.5/10
The French sensation created some good chances for his teammates but was also guilty of squandering a great opportunity when the scoreline was still 0-0. However, he kept his composure to score the penalty which helped United mount a late comeback and gain a point from the encounter.
RM: Juan Mata – 4/10
The Spanish playmaker failed to get himself into the game and lacked invention in the opposition half.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 5/10
The Belgian centre-forward linked up well with Rashford during the contest but was woeful with his finishing in front of the Newcastle goal.
LM: Marcus Rashford – 5/10
The English prospect squandered a fantastic chance early on and didn’t look comfortable playing on the left wing.
Substitutes:
CM: Jesse Lingard – 6/10
The English midfielder came off the bench to win the penalty which gave his team a lifeline to snatch something from the game.
ST: Alexis Sanchez – 5/10
The Chilean talent tried his best to get himself involved in the game but lacked the cutting edge in the opposition half.
