Manchester United were matched by Burnley in the match week 24 of the Premier League at Turf Moor Stadium, Tuesday (8/2).
The visitors tried to find a quick goal through Marcus Rashford’s kick in the eighth minute. But goalkeeper Nick Pope reacted well to save Rashford’s shot.
Man United scored in the 12th minute through defender Raphael Varane’s header which took advantage of Bruno Fernandes’ free kick.
However, VAR replays declared United’s goal invalid because Varane was in an offside position earlier.
Man Utd could only take the lead in the 19th minute thanks to Paul Pogba’s goal which took advantage of Luke Shaw’s assist.
Cavani threw away the opportunity for Man United to double the score in the 33rd minute. The Uruguayan striker received a mature feed from Shaw.
However, Cavani, who was standing in front of Burnley’s goal, failed to score after his header hit goalkeeper Nick Pope’s knee.
In the 37th minute it was Fernandes’ turn who failed to bring Man United ahead after his shot was caught by Pope. The Portuguese midfielder chose to execute the ball even though he was in a less than ideal position rather than passing it to his partner.
Rashford’s chance in the 40th minute was again thwarted by Pope. The England goalkeeper managed to ward off Rashford’s hard kick from inside the penalty box.
Burnley immediately equalized in the 47th minute through Jay Rodriguez’s goal after receiving Wout Weghorst’s through ball which first outwit Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay.
A brilliant save was made by David de Gea who parried Weghorst’s shot after seeing a hole in the Man United defence.
The preoccupation with attacking made Man United forget about a defense that was too high, so Burnley often used it with counter attacks.
Varane’s flick in the 78th minute of Rashford’s cross could be blocked by Burnley’s defense. One minute later, Cristiano Ronaldo’s header flew over the opponent’s crossbar.
Man Utd launched a barrage of attacks in the minutes of injury time. However, opportunities from Anthony Elanga, Ronaldo, and Fernandes did not add to the Red Devils’ goals.
Without additional goals, Man United had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Burnley.
The draw against Burnley, is clearly detrimental for Man Utd. Because they are now thrown out of the Champions League zone again.
Man Utd currently sit in fifth position with 39 points from 23 matches, one point away from West Ham United who are in fourth place.
The position of Man Utd itself is still prone to being evicted by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur who are in sixth and seventh place. Arsenal and Tottenham both collected 36 points, but Arsenal have only played 21 times, while Tottenham have only played 20 times.
