Manchester United played hosts to Burnley at Old Trafford as part of the Boxing Day Premier League action and was looking to continue their good form at home. They went into the contest at the back of a disappointing draw at Leicester City in their last league outing. Jose Mourinho was hoping that his Red Devils would be able to pick up maximum points on Tuesday and close the gap to leaders Manchester City to just 10 points at the top of the league standings. The Portuguese manager opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Clarets but was in for a rollercoaster of a match at Old Trafford!
Burnley took the lead early on Boxing Day through Ashley Barnes’ clever finish when he scored with a low shot from close range. And Sean Dyche’s men doubled their lead when Steven Defour found the back of the net from an outstanding free-kick. The Red Devils responded early in the second half and got a goal back through Jesse Lingard. And it was Lingard again who scored the equaliser in injury time to ensure a draw for the home team.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester United player fared on the night.
GK: David De Gea – 5/10
The Spanish goalkeeper couldn’t do much for the Burnley opener but would be disappointed about the second goal after getting his fingertips on the ball during Defour’s brilliant freekick. Other than that, he hardly had anything to do in the match.
RB: Ashley Young – 7/10
The English international put up a strong performance at right-back and linked up well going forward. He provided the assists for both of Lingard’s goals which helped his team comeback from two goals down at home.
CB: Phil Jones – 5/10
A poor performance from the usually reliable United centre-back. He was a part of the defence that conceded two goals at home to Burnley. Jones will be hoping for better days.
CB: Marcos Rojo – 4/10
The Argentine struggled for the Red Devils and failed to perform well at the heart of the United defence in the first half. He was deservedly substituted at half-time.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6/10
The English left-back put in a good shift on the left flank and looked a real threat going forward.
CM: Paul Pogba – 5/10
Not the best performance from the French midfielder. He did not look his usual self at the centre of the park.
CM: Nemanja Matic – 5/10
The Serbian failed to stop some of the Burnley attacking moves in the first half which ultimately left his team with a mountain to climb.
RM: Juan Mata – 6/10
He looked a threat in the final third but was unlucky not to score on the day.
LM: Marcus Rashford – 5/10
The English speedster had a poor game and wasted some chances in front of goal.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 6/10
The Belgian was a real handful for the Clarets’ defence yet another goalless game would be a cause for concern as he is a striker who thrives in confidence.
ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5/10
The Swede failed to score and put in a lacklustre performance in the first half. He was substituted at half-time.
Substitutes:
ST: Jesse Lingard – 8/10
He came on as a substitute and totally changed the complexion of the game with his late runs into the box. The 25-year-old scored both of United’s goals which helped them conjure up a draw on Boxing Day.
CAM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6/10
The Ukranian came on and made an impact by linking up well in the final third. The Red Devils looked a better team with Mkhitaryan on their side in the second half.
