Manchester United had Jesse Lingard to thank as they came from two goals down to hold Burnley to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Tuesday
The hosts were left shell-shocked as Burnley grabbed the lead just three minutes into the game through Ashley Barnes, who scored a close-range goal from Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s pinpoint free-kick into the box.
Manchester United then went about getting back on level terms, but had Nick Pope denying them at every opportunity, with Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba coming the closest to scoring. However, they were soon two down as Steven Defour curled a sublime free-kick into the top corner from 30 yards out.
The hosts then went all out in order to claw their way back in the match, introducing Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard at half-time, and the latter would turn out to be the saviour for his side 45 minutes later.
FT: #MUFC 2 Burnley 2.
It ends level at Old Trafford after @JesseLingard‘s second-half brace. #MUNBUR pic.twitter.com/ZkNsfNfaOK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 26, 2017
The Englishman first struck with a brilliant flick into the far bottom corner from Ashley Young’s low cross before netting the equaliser with a fine half volley in injury time, with the Red Devils creating a raft of chances in the period.
The injury time goal was only good enough to earn a point though, as Manchester United risk falling 15 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City when they play Newcastle United on Wednesday. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jose Mourinho’s men after another disappointing result.
David De Gea: 6/10
It was a pretty quiet night for De Gea, even though he conceded two goals on the night. Indeed, he was not at fault for either goal, with poor defending resulting in the first goal and Steven Defour’s brilliance for the second.
One thing he does need to address is his command inside the box during set-piece situations, with the specific weakness being exposed in two successive games now.
Ashley Young: 7/10
Ashley Young: Made more accurate crosses vs Burnley (7) than any other player has managed in a Premier League match this season pic.twitter.com/0ddvJxChHu
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 27, 2017
Starting at right-back instead of his customary left-back slot this season, Young was the biggest attacking threat for the hosts with his low, driven crosses. Defensively, he did not have a lot to do, with Burnley sitting back for the most part.
In the end, the veteran Englishman ended with two assists, only missing out on a hat-trick of assists due to Nick Pope’s face, that blocked Jesse Lingard’s point blank tap-in. With Shaw impressing on the opposite flank, Young could continue on the right side of defence till Antonio Valencia comes back.
Phil Jones: 6/10
A blow hot blow cold game for Jones, who grew into the game as it progressed. Shaky to begin with, he soon found his footing, and played smartly once he was practically the only defender left in the game for the final 45 minutes.
Marcos Rojo: 4/10
Rojo has been extremely nervy upon his return from a long-term knee injury, and it was more of the same on Tuesday. The night started with an unnecessary foul that earned him his fifth booking in five games – and a one-match ban – before ending prematurely as Mourinho opted to take him off after just 45 minutes.
The Marcos Rojo life pic.twitter.com/BRg3bFYG9M
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 26, 2017
The Argentine is unlikely to get back into the side anytime soon after he has served his suspension, with his latest outing definitely pushing him down in the pecking order.
Luke Shaw: 6/10
If Rojo has been poor on his return, Shaw has been pretty impressive. On Tuesday, with very little defending to be done, the young defender charged forward with purpose, adding to the numbers around the Burnley box while also forcing Pope into making a couple of saves. Only getting better with each passing outing.
Paul Pogba: 6/10
For a second game in a row, Pogba wasn’t effective enough to make as big an impact that is usually expected from him. As Burnley defended with numbers behind the ball, the Manchester United skipper did not have enough space to create as many chances as he would have liked. Needs to step up after two sub par outings.
Nemanja Matic: 6/10
Tuesday’s perform was certainly not one of the best in a Manchester United shirt by Nemanja Matic. Yes, the circumstances did lead to mistakes and he was playing as a centre-back in the second half. But, he was often sloppy and wasteful with his passing. Having said that, his long balls were a sight to behold, helping Manchester United switch play effectively.
Juan Mata: 6/10
Mata might not have been as effective with his contribution on Tuesday, but he was still one of the better players for Manchester United. The Spaniard tirelessly ran all through the match, rotating the ball quickly towards the wide areas, with very little space to exploit down the middle. One of the players who showed a lot of intent.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 5/10
Everyone’s seen Zlatan taking out Rashford by attempting, then aborting, a bicycle kick yesterday? pic.twitter.com/XWRlqu9nHS
— Mark Thompson (@EveryTeam_Mark) December 27, 2017
Making his first Premier League start of the season, Zlatan looked woefully out of touch and pace, making a mockery of Mourinho’s claims that he can play in the Number Ten role. It was not for a lack of trying though, as his slow speed made him severely ineffective, showing that he still has to put in a lot of work to get back to his best.
Marcus Rashford: 5/10
A poor run of performances continued for Rashford, whose selfishness leaves a lot to be desired. The youngster could have used his pace and directness to good effect, but he just couldn’t while his final ball was extremely poor. Having said that, he did work hard, and a few improvements could prove to be the difference.
Romelu Lukaku: 5/10
After a superb outing against Leicester, Lukaku was disappointingly poor on Tuesday. His tentativeness while defending set-pieces was on display once again as some dreadful defending resulted in Burnley’s opener.
On the other end, he was deprived of good service, although he should have scored on the one occasion he did get a good cross coming his way. Other than that, his link up and hold up plays were very good, but the poor headed effort leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
SUBSTITUTES
Jesse Lingard: 8/10
Jesse Lingard’s game by numbers vs. Burnley:
2 goals
3 shots
66% chance conversion
89% pass accuracy
100% tackles wonWorth £100k a week? Definitely. ??? pic.twitter.com/0znQgfKHfx
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 26, 2017
Jesse Lingard came to the rescue once again for Manchester United, scoring a brace to earn a point on Tuesday. Both of his goals were absolutely brilliant, although a miss from point blank effort could have given the hosts all three points, if not for Pope’s face. Nevertheless, the Englishman ended up making the difference for his side on the night.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 5/10
Introduced at half-time, Mkhitryan helped provide the urgency needed to put Burnley under pressure. He also helped his side gain more control in the second half, although he wasn’t incisive enough with his passing.
