Burnley 0-2 Manchester United
Manchester United moved up to fifth in the table after a goal at the end of each half won them all three points against Burnley.
The last top-flight fare of the day, Premier League Burnley vs Manchester United, turned out to be a game of two halves as the Red Devils totally dominated the first half before Burnley came alive in the second.
Anthony Martial took advantage of some calamitous defending to put United ahead on 43 minutes, and Marcus Rashford, who is having the season of his career, netted his 12th goal of the season deep into injury time.
This SBOBET writer is a Burnley fan, Claret through and through, and I’ll be honest. If the Red Devils had been two up at the break, that would have been about right. But then, if the Clarets had played in the first half like they did in the second, it might just have been a different story.
But hey…that’s football folks!
Highlights of the game
Much of the pre-match Burnley vs Manchester United news surrounded the likelihood of Paul Pogba making a start after coming off the bench in the recent games against Watford and Newcastle United. But he was conspicuous by his absence, not even named on the bench.
With both teams keen to exert their influence on the game early, and with two sets of passionate fans, it was always going to be a spicy affair.
Clarets wing-back Phil Bardsley put his mark on the game — and United youngster Brandon Williams – to become the first of four Burnley players to work their way into the referee’s notebook.
But the Red Devils were well on top throughout the first half. Rashford came close to opening the scoring twice, first with a swerving free-kick punched away by Nick Pope, and then he clipped the outside of the post with a 20-yard snapshot.
Martial almost scored after the ball ricocheted around the Burnley penalty area and landed at his feet some ten yards out, but his goal-bound shot was blocked on the line by Bardsley.
When the breakthrough finally came, it was gift-wrapped by the Burnley defence. Charlie Taylor, who’d been Burnley’s most attacking threat, dallied in possession deep in his own half, and Andreas Pereira took advantage, squaring for Martial to fire under Pope and into the net.
Sean Dyche must have given his players a rocket at the break after seeing his team spend the first half devoid of creative ideas, and they came out playing at a higher tempo and passing the ball with purpose.
Young winger Dwight McNeil started to stretch the United defence and when he found space in the penalty area, he fired a shot wide of de Gea’s left-hand post. And the Red Devils keeper was at his best to keep out a low drive from Bardsley as the Clarets ramped up the pressure.
Burnley threw the kitchen sink at United and pinged balls into the box. But with all ten outfield players in the attacking third, they were caught by a lightning break finished off by Rashford with the last kick of the game.
Key statistics
The pre-match Burnley vs Manchester United betting odds had the Red Devils at 1.94 to win and they fully justified that position, winning the shot count by 14 to eight.
In a tempestuous affair, there was a foul almost every three minutes, Burnley committing 17 of the 27 and earning four of the seven cards.
And thanks to Burnley’s lack of ambition in the first 45 minutes and a fine David de Gea save in the second half, United kept a first clean sheet in 15 games.
What’s next?
The Red Devils followed a disastrous performance at Watford with a much better showing against Newcastle and did a professional job to dispatch the Clarets tonight.
Over the next week or so, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have three big games in three different competitions. They travel to the Emirates to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on New Year’s Day before travelling to Wolves for a 3rd Round FA Cup tie. And then they host Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Wolves stunned the Sky Blues in a five-goal thriller at Molyneux last night, a result which all but ended City’s Premier League defence and so Pep Guardiola will be determined to win the rest of the silverware on offer.
Next up, the Clarets have a home game against struggling Aston Villa on New Year’s Day, before hosting League One side Peterborough in the FA Cup. Dyche will want to see more of his team’s second-half endeavour, particularly against the Villans.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
