Category: Burnley

The substitute Zeki Amdouni’s late penalty gave relegation-threatened Burnley a deserved draw at Old Trafford. Manchester United and Burnley had 43 shots between them, 17 on target, in a wildly open game at Old Trafford.

For a while it looked like it would be one of the more peverse goalless draws in Premier League history. Bruno Fernandes smacked the post in the first half before Andre Onana made two outstanding saves to deny Lyle Foster.

Both teams continued to miss chances in the second half before Antony finally broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, pouncing on a loose pass from Sander Berge to finish decisively. It was his first league goal at Old Trafford since he scored on his debut against Arsenal in September 2022.

Burnley equalised eight minutes later when VAR penalised Andre Onana for smashing Andouni in the face when he came for a cross. Andouni took the penalty himself, calmly sending Onana the wrong way.

There were late opportunities at both ends as the two sides pushed desperately for a winner. A draw, however entertaining, is not ideal for either side. Man Utd’s hopes of finishing in the top five are realistically over, while Burnley missed the chance to jump above Luton and move level on points with Nottingham Forest.

Don’t be fooled by the modest scoreline: this could easily have ended 3-3 or 4-3, as a few of Manchester United matches have in the last two months. The good news for Erik ten Hag is that they continue to create a flurry of chances. But for a side that aspires to challenge the best – and who are playing Manchester City in the FA Cup final next month – they remain extraordinarily vulnerable in defence. While a grotesque injury list offers partial mitigation, United are miles away from where they were last season, never mind under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Burnley’s positive, possession-based approach means their centre-halves are generally very busy. Dara O’Shea found himself one v one throughout the game but was largely immaculate, particularly against the pacy Alejandro Garnacho. An eye-catching defensive performance was capped in the last minute when he denied Scott McTominay an open goal with a marvellous last-ditch tackle.

Man Utd: Onana 7, Wan-Bissaka 6, Casemiro 6, Maguire 7, Dalot 6, Mainoo 6, Eriksen 6, Antony 8, Bruno Fernandes 7, Garnacho 6, Hojlund 6. Subs: Amrabat 6, Mount 6, Diallo 7, McTominay 6.

Burnley: Muric 7, Assignon 7, O’Shea 8, Esteve 7, Vitinho 6, Foster 6, Berge 6, Cullen 7, Bruun Larsen 7, Odobert 7, Fofana 6. Subs: Gudmundsson 6, Amdouni 7.

20’ – FERNANDES HITS THE POST! A cross from the left is controlled by Hojlund, who goes down under a challenge. The ball breaks to Fernandes, who wallops a left-foot shot from the angle that thumps off the near post.

35’ – GREAT SAVE BY ONANA! Bruun Larsen’s free-kick is headed away to the edge of the area. Cullen sweeps it back on the volley, Foster heads at goal from eight yards and Onana changes direction to tip it over the bar. That’s a magnificent reaction save.

79’ –GOAL! MAN UTD 1-0 BURNLEY (ANTONY) Antony breaks the deadlock at last! It came from a mistake by Sander Berge, whose pass across the line of the defence was intercepted by Antony. He surged through, resisted a recovery challenge from Antony – he could have gone down – and forced a shot back across Muric. That’s a really well-taken goal.

86’ – PENALTY TO BURNLEY A weird header from Casemiro leads to Onana inadvertently whacking Andouni in the face after the ball has gone. Play continues but then VAR gets involved. Onana got away with a similar incident against Wolves on his Man Utd debut, but everyone agreed it was the wrong decision and this time the penalty has been given.

87’ –GOAL! MAN UTD 1-1 BURNLEY (AMDOUNI PEN) Amdouni scores, calmly sending Onana the wrong way! It’s a huge goal for Burnley, and a deserved equaliser on the balance of play.

90+1’ – GREAT DEFENDING BY O’SHEA! Antony’s clever pass finds Casemiro in space on the right side of the area. He draws the keeper and squares the ball in front of an open goal, where O’Shea gets across McTominay to make an outstanding challenge.

90+5’ – GOOD SAVE BY ONANA! Odobert dizzies Wan-Bissaka with a stepover and rifles a shot that is well blocked at the near post by Onana. Both teams have had so many chances.