Last season, Burnley supporters everywhere celebrated the acquisition of a point against Manchester United at Old Trafford, earned by virtue of a rear-guard action reminiscent of Rourke’s Drift.
A little over a year later, the same venue, the same two teams, the same spoils shared and yet the prevailing mood amongst Clarets' fans after yesterday’s Boxing Day encounter was one born out of frustration.
Frustration that but for the concession of a “Fergie-Time” equaliser, Burnley would have returned home with all three points. Frustration too that Burnley chose this game, of all games, to surrender a two goal lead, something they hadn’t done in any of their preceding games this season.
Ashley Barnes kept his head in the third minute melee ensuing from Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s cleverly flighted free kick, to open the scoring early in the game and Stephen Defour’s brilliant free kick doubled Burnley’s lead before the first half was over.
Old Trafford has seen many a dead-ball practitioner who could make the ball cut improbable curves in the air, Beckham and Ronaldo spring readily to mind but Defour’s effort stands comparison alongside any that have gone before.
Scott Arfield grazed the crossbar with a crafty shot after a flowing move which, had it gone in, would have put the Clarets out of sight, but as it was, Burnley were required to spend the remainder of the game under siege.
The half-time introduction of England international Jesse Lingard proved a turning point. His clever flick rolled tantalisingly beyond the grasp of the excellent Nick Pope and his final snap shot through a crowded penalty area ended the game with United’s late, late equaliser.
As is so often the case with Burnley, the statistics showing possession, corner-kicks and attempts at goal weighed heavily against them, a fact not lost on Jose Mourinho.
The Red’s manager would be well advised to reflect on the fact that Burnley’s “One and a half shots” (don’t ask me how that works!) produced two goals, whilst the multiple attempts generated by his players could only match that tally. It begs the rhetorical question, which team’s strikers are the more potent?
Mourinho was also emphatic in his view that the £285 million already invested in assembling his squad was insufficient. Throwing money at a perceived problem is a dreary and mundane response; a glance in the direction of the chap in the adjacent technical area would have provided Mourinho with an indication of what can be achieved through good coaching and skilful player husbandry.
This Burnley centric match review was written by uber Clarets fan Dave Thornley who contributes regularly for Clarets Mad (TEC).
Source: DSG
