Another Premier League matchday means yet another disappointing result for Manchester United. The Red Devils threw away a comfortable lead against Burnley who sit right at the bottom of the table. Burnley have lost their last five home games in the Premier League against United without scoring a single goal prior to this fixture.
The lively, energetic and promising first half was followed by a significant drop off in the second. Somehow the Reds managed to drop two points after a deflating 1-1 draw. Here are five things we learnt from United’s disheartening visit to Turf Moor.
SHOTS FIRED, BUT MISSED
United have desperately needed a creative spark and attacking flare. Yet creating plenty of chances doesn’t seem to be the glaring issue anymore. The major dilemma the team must now overcome is poor finishing.
United have had 52 shots in the last two matches with just two goals to show for it. The level of output with that many chances is not good enough. Similar to what unfolded against Middlesbrough after crashing out of the FA Cup. This game should’ve been wrapped up in the first half.
The two controversial VAR decisions didn’t help the team’s cause after Raphaël Varane’s header and an own goal from Burnley were disallowed in the opening 21 minutes. Despite the bizarre adjudicating decisions made by the referee and VAR, our end product still needs to improve.
Edinson Cavani had a great chance to score from a couple of yards out. Cristiano Ronaldo’s header went right over the post and Harry Maguire missed the target with his header. You’d expect these experienced international players to be clinical in front of goal with clear chances like that. For as long as star players are underperforming — goal-scoring opportunities will be wasted.
CAN’T KEEP A LEAD
Before every game I wonder which side will show up — First or Second Half FC. United have been unable to control a game from the first kick right until the final whistle is blown. They dominate in patches which invites teams who may not have the quality but have the fighting spirit to get back into the game.
The first 45 minutes may have been the best we’ve seen since Ralf Rangnick’s arrival as his side completely dominated possession with 63% to Burnley’s 37%. Bruno Fernandes was thriving in his deeper role in midfield by feeding the forward players with excellent ball progression. Burnley were pressing and chasing the ball anywhere it went, but United were just too sharp to be rattled by anything. In the rare event when Burnley managed to advance the ball out of their own defensive third, United’s backline was switched on to only allow them one shot.
Paul Pogba had his first goal since last January after a great passage of play. Fernandes picked out Rashford where Luke Shaw made an overlapping run to cut back to Pogba. However, the lead was short-lived as Burnley came out guns blazing in the second half. United dozed off and failed to register a single attempt on target instead of trying to unlock the defence by getting into dangerous areas.
SLOPPY DEFENDING
The tide immediately turned when Jay Rodriguez netted an equaliser. It was a clever build-up from Wout Weghorst who dragged Maguire out of position before making a clever final pass to feed his partner. It was the first goal David de Gea has ever conceded at Turf Moor and United just made it look way too easy. Maguire overcommits against Weghorst and couldn’t catch up to Rodriguez while Shaw was keeping him onside.
Conceding against a side who have the 19th worst goal-scoring record in the Premier League this season with just 17 goals is astonishing. This then puts immense pressure on the forwards to produce something when most of them are already wasting chances.
STAGGERING SET-PIECE RECORD
127 corners taken and not a single goal. Manchester United are the only team in the Premier League to not score from a set-piece this season. It’s a particularly embarrassing record for a club that brought in set-piece specialist Eric Ramsay in the summer.
Set pieces have always been a useful tool that enables any team to create goal-scoring opportunities — even those who lack quality upfront. Yet from now on, any corner that comes United’s way may as well be overturned as one thing’s for certain — we ain’t scoring.
Sean Dyche’s Burnley have managed to make it difficult in the past for teams to break their defence by sitting in a low block. We saw Burnley make it quite physical and scrappy in the latter stages of the game. It’s in situations like these when capitalising on an offensive set-piece opportunity would make a massive difference.
GOODBYE TOP FOUR
It’s needless to say that United’s hopes of making the top four are diminishing. Drawing against a team battling relegation with just one win this season is inexcusable. The issues on the pitch are one thing, but the player’s mentality and attitude are another. Top four is in real jeopardy now with West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham all lurking with games in hand. If we don’t qualify for Champions League football next season, things can easily go from bad to worse.