37 shots on goal, a sending off, and their manager sent to the stands. It was certainly a frustrating afternoon for Manchester United, who dropped further behind their Premier League rivals with this disappointing home draw. For Lancashire neighbours Burnley, this is a fantastic result, and a massive point in their aim to consolidate Premier League status. They deserve a lot of credit for the grit, determination, and resilience they displayed throughout.
Match Analysis
Undoubtedly, former United man Tom Heaton was man of the match. The Clarets can thank the goalkeeper for this hard earned point, their first on the road this season. Heaton was sensational throughout, making a string of great saves to thwart United. The pick of the bunch was the Peter Schmeichel-esque save that kept out a close range Zlatan Ibrahimović scissor kick, an effort that Heaton later claimed nearly broke his arm!
Jesse Lingard was frustrated, too, with a first half header that looked destined for the top corner pushed over the bar. Heaton’s performance delighted the travelling Burnley fans, who chanted “England’s number one” throughout. On this evidence, it is hard to disagree.
Of course, it was not all down to the goalkeeper. Burnley defended well, frustrated their opponents, and created one or two chances to nick a goal. Yet that pales into insignificance when compared to the chances United squandered in this game. The chief culprit was Ibrahimović, who has not found the back of the net in six games, his longest run without a goal in nine years.
Ibrahimović’s day, and United’s, was summed up in the 89th minute. Paul Pogba, who could have notched up five assists in this game, so poor was United’s finishing, found the striker alone at the back post with a fabulous ball. Unfortunately for United, Ibrahimović blazed the ball over the bar. It was a glaring miss.
Yet the truth of the matter is that the game could have been put to bed long before Ibrahimović’s sitter. It would be unfair to say that United didn’t play well. Any team who has 37 shots on goal in a game should win comfortably. There was some good football played at times, too. On the whole, this was hugely reminiscent of the game against Stoke City. Yet on a day when rivals Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all put four past their respective opponents, United could ill afford a result like this.
With ten games gone, these are still early days. Yet United are already playing catch up, currently eight points behind the top three teams. This is a massive gap, even at this stage. Yes, United can take positives from the game. Nine times out of ten, they would have won this by two or three goals. If United can keep performing like this, they will win more than they lose. The more optimistic of United fans will say it’s just a matter of time before the team returns to winning ways.
Ref Watch
Other than the result, the big talking points from this game will be the decisions of referee Mark Clattenburg, who also sent José Mourinho to the stands for the second half.
United had two penalty shouts waved away by Clattenburg, yet they cannot use that as an excuse considering the amount of chances they created. Perhaps more controversial was the sending off of Ander Herrera, which did look a bit soft. With eleven men United were in a much better position to keep on the attack, though there probably won’t be much sympathy for the Red Devils.
The reason for Mourinho’s dismissal has not been confirmed, but it is highly likely that the United manager let his emotions get the better of him at half time. Mourinho was clearly angered by Jon Flanagan’s challenge on Matteo Darmian in the Burnley penalty box. Of course, it won’t be the first time, or the last, that Mourinho has been in trouble with match officials. The “Special One” must have still been brooding after the game, with assistant Rui Faria sent out to do the post match interviews. Somewhat disappointing from Mourinho, who seems to relish negative media attention. There is talk of a stadium ban after his latest outburst, something that will do his team no favours.
Looking Ahead
Next up for Burnley is Crystal Palace at Turf Moor. Palace are level on points with the Clarets, above them on goal difference. Burnley will be hoping to maintain their decent home form and get more points on the board, though Palace will be a different kind of challenge. So far this season, Burnley have performed better against the top sides. They will need to translate these performances to games against the teams around them if they are to avoid relegation. On the evidence of their performance at Old Trafford, this is a target the are more than capable of achieving.
For United, they now have two tricky away trips. First is Fenerbache in the Europa League, not an easy fixture by any stretch of the imagination. After that they travel to the Liberty Stadium to face Swansea City, a game they have lost in each of the last two seasons. United fans will be hoping that victory over their bogey team will signal a change in fortunes.
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