Manchester United 0-2 Burnley
Fans over at Old Trafford were left disheartened once more as they’ve lost to Burnley with an identical tally to their reverse Premier League fixture just a month ago.
Manchester United suffered another loss to their listless campaign, losing three of their last five, while slipping out of the top four.
After being badly outplayed by Liverpool the last time around, one would think that the Red Devils would find a way to bounce back. But alas, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men didn’t come out with the right approach to give their fans a good show.
Meanwhile, Burnley came to play with great efforts from Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez. The Clarets’ forward haunted the Red Devils’ defence as they scored one goal apiece.
With the victory, Burnley have improved to the 13th spot at the table. They are currently level with the likes of Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Everton and Newcastle.
SBOBET provides you the recap of this match last night.
Highlights of the game
Coming into the game, Manchester United’s Premier League 2020 odds of winning this match were lower when Marcus Rashford was confirmed to be out due to a back injury. But it’s still higher compared to Burnley’s.
The Red Devil’s top scorer suffered a stress fracture on his back during their game against the Wolves in the FA Cup. He is reportedly expected to miss around six weeks.
With him out, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to rely more on the likes of Anthony Martial, Daniel James, and Andreas Pereira. Juan Mata, who is seldom used prior to this match, was put in the midfield to try and get their creative juices flowing.
Manchester United had some openings early on but they failed to capitalise. In the 22nd minute, Juan Mata fired a long-range shot that was blocked by a Burnley defender. Fred followed it up by a strike of his own, but Nick Pope was there to produce a fine save.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka tried his luck by letting out a nice volley for a possible header attempt in the 31st minute, but Daniel James’ shot was parried away once more by Nick Pope. Anthony Martial had his chance too, but Burnley’s compact defence was too much to handle.
Burnley would finally get in the scoreboard at the 39th minute via a set piece. After a long free kick towards inside the box, Ben Mee knocked down the ball towards a cutting Chris Wood for a smashing goal.
Fast forward to the 56th minute, the Clarets would one more sequence to their Premier League 2020 highlights when Jay Rodriguez fired his attempt into the top corner of David de Gea’s near post that found the back of the net. That play started when the Red Devils’ failed to clear the ball out after a throw-in by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Mason Greenwood almost gave Manchester United a prime opportunity to score when he was fouled near the penalty area. However, after reviewing the VAR, the referees downgraded their initial red card call to a yellow card to Ashley Westwood.
United kept on firing long-range strikes within the last 30 minutes, but Burnley’s wall of a defence prevented them to create great chances.
Towards the end, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood had decent chances. However, their attempts would either be too wide or high or saved by Nick Pope.
With their lacklustre showing, fans over at Old Trafford mercilessly rained down boos and most of them left the arena even before the match officially ended.
OGS would have to find some suitable reinforcements soon to halt this downward spiral. But of course, you also have to give credit to Burnley manager Sean Dyche for his club’s great performance.
“We’re all disappointed. The players are disappointed, the club’s disappointed, but what else can we do than come in tomorrow and know that we’re wearing a Man United shirt and work to improve again?” remarked Solskjaer during the postgame interview.
Key statistics
Manchester United posted a whopping total of 24 shot attempts compared to only five by Burnley. They also controlled 73-per cent of the possession.
Since he was made permanent manager for United, OGS have lost more Premier League games (12) than they have won (11).
The Clarets have finally won an away match against Manchester United since September 1962.
Chris Wood’s goal at the 39th minute was Burnley’s first goal in the first half of a match since November.
What’s next?
The Red Devils will temporarily turn their focus in the FA Cup to where they are still waiting for their fourth round opponent as of this writing.
After that, they’ll face their inter-city rivals in Manchester City at the Football League Cup. Then they’ll resume their Premier League campaign as they host the Wolves on February 2nd.
For Burnley, they will lock horns against Norwich City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Then they’ll get to host Arsenal on February 2nd as well.
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