The first half was packed with action and drama, with Manchester United finding the back of the Burnley net three times, but only one of them counted. First and foremost, Raphael Varane thundered home a magnificent header but had his effort ruled out for offside after Harry Maguire got involved from an offside position. After some nice work on the left by Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba delivered a fantastic side-footed finish to make it 1-0.
Soon after, Josh Brownhill threw the ball into his own net in an attempt to stop Rashford’s cutback, but the goal was disallowed because Pogba had committed a foul in the buildup. Edinson Cavani, who started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, then had a fantastic chance to double the Red Devils’ lead, but Nick Pope expertly stopped his header from point-blank range.
Burnley showed a lot more purpose and drive in the second half, and they were back on equal terms three minutes after the restart, with Jay Rodriguez producing a delightful dinked finish after leaving Maguire dead in his tracks. The Clarets should have increased their lead soon after, but David de Gea stopped Wout Weghorst’s thunderous shot from distance.
Manchester United, on the other hand, did not pose a sufficient danger. Substitute Ronaldo had a wonderful chance to even things up, but he headed over the bar as the two teams shared the spoils at Turf Moor.
It was yet another letdown for Ralf Rangnick’s men, who were held by the bottom club. Manchester United dropped to the fifth position in the Premier League table when West Ham won their game against Watford. And here are our player rankings for the Red Devils’ key players.
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6/10 for David de Gea
The Spaniard had little to do for most of the game, but he couldn’t prevent Rodriguez from breaking his clean-sheet streak at Turf Moor. However, de Gea made a crucial save to keep Weghorst out at 1-1.
6/10 for Diogo Dalot
Maxwell Cornet didn’t pose much of a defensive challenge to the Portuguese right-back on the night. On occasion, he got forward and showed strong desire, almost creating an opportunity for Bruno Fernandes. However, as the game continued, he could have provided a bit more in terms of attacking.
6.5/10 for Raphael Varane
The Frenchman struck the back of the net with a powerful header in the 12th minute, but it was disallowed due to his defensive partner. Varane did well in the back as well but was once again let down by his teammate.
3/10 for Harry Maguire
Poor and sloppy work. The Manchester United captain stopped Rodriguez from being offside, resulting in Varane’s goal being ruled out. The former Southampton man then beat Maguire far too easily for the equalizer. He was arrested for a careless foul on Weghorst. It’s horrible and should be scrapped.
6.5/10 for Luke Shaw
In the first half, the England international was a consistent outlet down the left and provided a brilliant cutback to set up Pogba’s goal. He added a couple additional perilous crosses. Shaw, on the other hand, was guilty of playing Rodriguez onside for the equalizer, and his influence after the interval was also lessened.
7/10 for Paul Pogba
Pogba had an amazing first period when he was at the center of many wonderful things Manchester United did, making his first Premier League start in four months. With a perfect finish, the Frenchman scored his first goal of the season. However, he, like Shaw, faded in the last stages of the game.
5/10 for Scott McTominay
Not good enough from the Scotsman, who didn’t appear to be at ease sitting at the base of the midfield. Burnley sat back in the first half, allowing him to keep things moving, although the midfielder could have been more progressive with his passes. But his demeanor shifted after the game when they began to pursue him, at which point he was all over the place.
6/10 for Marcus Rashford
Player to Keep an Eye On Rashford was a dynamic presence in attack at Turf Moor, according to our match preview. In the buildup to Pogba’s strike, he pulled a save from Nick Pope and sent a nice cross to Shaw. His cutback also resulted in his own goal, which was disallowed, and he stung the Burnley keeper’s palms again before halftime. However, there were times when his decision-making could have been better.
6/10 for Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes sent a beautiful cross for Varane to head in, but the goal was disallowed. He then set up Pogba’s goal with a pass for Rashford to rush onto. While there were a few bright spots, the Portuguese were mainly subdued in the second half.
7/10 for Jadon Sancho
The summer signing picked up where he left off against Middlesbrough, causing all sorts of difficulties for Burnley right-back Connor Roberts. Sancho found himself in some perilous situations and made three crucial passes. One of United’s few bright spots on a sad night.
4/10 for Edinson Cavani
Despite being given the nod ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Uruguayan never got into the game at Turf Moor and accomplished little of note other than a header from two yards out that was saved by Pope. He cleared the way for Ronaldo.
SUBSTITUTES
4/10 for Cristiano Ronaldo
He came on in the 68th minute to replace Cavani, and he didn’t do any better. When he headed over the bar, the Portuguese outlaw blew a good chance.
N/A for Jesse Lingard
McTominay comes on for the final ten minutes. Lingard had no effect.
N/A for Anthony Elanga
In the 85th minute, he came on to replace Rashford. The young Swede did not accomplish anything.
