Premier League
Burnley vs Manchester United: Five Things Worth Noting.
Burnley vs Manchester United was definitely a game to watch. The last couple of weeks had been dark and gloomy for Jose Mourihno, the Manchester United board, and Manchester United fans. Two losses in their first three games of the season meant that Jose Mourihno’s men were under enormous pressure to win at a difficult Turf Moor ground. Burnley coming off a Europa League play-offs exit was expected to put a stern defense against a Red Devils side struggling with confidence.
However, the game did not go as many would have predicted. Two goals from Romelu Lukaku in the first half quickly silenced a tired-looking Clarets team. Nonetheless, there are a few things worth noting from this encounter.
United Looked More Fluid Going Forward
Jose Mourihno’s Manchester United has been criticized this season for failing to create chances in game. In fact, many commentators have argued that the team has no attacking style of play unlike the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. While this has been true this season particularly giving the dismal performances in the first three games, today against Burnley, one of the five things worth noting was the attacking fluidity in United’s game. A front three of Sanchez, Lukaku, and Lingard mesmerized the Claret defense the entirety of the game. Sanchez was instrumental in both Lukaku goals.
Rashford also came on at the 60th minute mark and continued where Sanchez had left off, winning a penalty in the process. Although they game ended 0-2, United could easily have gotten 5 or 6 if not for missed chances by Lukaku as well as a missed penalty by Pogba. United fans certainly had a lot to cheer about today.
An Exhausted Burnley
Few would have predicted before this game that Burnley would turn up such a subpar performance. Burnley looked exhausted and out of ideas from the get-go. Their performances in the premier league this season have been uncustomary leaving many to wonder why. Perhaps, the simplest explanation would be exhaustion from playing Thursday night Europa League play-offs and Sunday EPL fixtures. Some would argue the elimination from the Europa League is a blessing in disguise for the Clarets who so far have gotten just 1 point from 4 games.
Rashford the Scapegoat!
Marcus Rashford came on for Alexis Sanchez at the 61st minute and by the 69th minute, had won a penalty and received a red card following an altercation with Phil Bardsley. Few could have predicted such a dramatic involvement from the young lad. However, many would also argue that Rashford perhaps was the scapegoat. A review of the incident showed that Rashford reacted after a late nonchalant kick by Bardsley. Perhaps, the young lad should have controlled his reaction better. Nonetheless, many will agree that Bardsley deserved a red card too for his involvement. This was certainly one of the five things worth noting. Heey Mbappe! Rashford says Hi!
Lord Fellaini Stellar
Marouane Fellaini may not be loved by many United supporters, but he certainly delivered when called upon today. Fellaini was played as a defensive midfielder in today’s game. His role was to win headers and protect a shaky backline of Smalling and Lindelof. He certainly did that outstandingly. Rarely did Chris Wood and Sam Vokes when he came on dominate Fellaini in the air. In fact, he neutralized Burnley’s aerial threat. Excellent performance!
United go into the International Break with Less Pressure.
Following a rough two weeks in which there have been speculations as to Mourihno’s future at United following a series of poor performances, this win today certainly takes a lot of the pressure off the manager and the team as well. This was not a vintage performance from United, but it certainly was better than the three previous games this season. They can head into the international break with less pressure.
These were the five things worth noting as Burnley welcomed Manchester United.
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Twitter: Emmanuel Achiri
