Manchester United let Burnley draw 1-1 in a difficult match at Old Trafford, causing the opportunity to enter the top 4 to disappear in the last 4 rounds.
Saturday’s match at Old Trafford was chaotic. Both Manchester United and Burnley appeared disorganized and their intentions on the field were unclear despite the home team’s initial efforts.
The Red Devils had the clearest chances in the first half as Vincent Kompany’s team made a number of errors that could have cost them dearly. However, Burnley deserved the 0-0 draw in the first half as they also forced the Red Devils goalkeeper to save many times.
The second half started out looking more exciting but played out similarly to the first half until Brazilian winger Antony broke the deadlock in the 79th minute after a mistake by the Burnley defense. An absurd horizontal pass from defender Sander Berg went straight to Antony’s feet and the Red Devils’ spearhead rushed straight towards the penalty area. Despite Sander Berg’s intervention making Antony lose his footing, he still managed to flick the ball into the corner of the net before falling to the ground.
Erik ten Hag’s composure was short-lived as his player awarded the away team a penalty in the 85th minute: A headed pass from Casemiro forced goalkeeper Andre Onana to rush out and punch one. The ball floated in front of the penalty area, but the Cameroonian goalkeeper punched Zeki Amdouni in the face and the referee pointed to the penalty spot during the VAR review. It was Zeki Amdouni who deceived Onana to convert the penalty into a goal.
The two Manchester United players did not look at each other as Burnley’s attack approached the penalty area. As a result, pressure continues to mount on the Dutch coach, who is being considered by co-owner Jim Ratcliffe. His future may be far away from Old Trafford next season.
A point won gives Burnley more hope in the fight for survival in the Premier League while the Red Devils are increasingly moving away from their goal of winning tickets to the European Cup before the end of the season. Man United now only has 54 points in the last 4 matches, and they cannot catch up with the top 4 when Aston Villa has 67 points after 35 matches, not to mention the 5th ranked team Tottenham also has 60 points despite just playing. 32 matches. Even the Red Devils’ Europa League ticket is being threatened by Newcastle with only a 1-point gap behind them.
