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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Burnley 1-1 Man Utd: 5 talking points as hosts hamper Ralf Rangnick's top four bid

Manchester United failed to get back to winning ways on Tuesday evening, managing only a 1-1 draw against struggling Burnley at Turf Moor.

Paul Pogba opened the scoring for Ralf Rangnick's side in the first half, only for Jay Rodriguez to snatch a Premier League point for the hosts just after the interval.

The result has ramifications at both ends of the table. United have dropped to fifth, while Burnley remain bottom of the table.

Burnley's next Premier League game is against Liverpool on Sunday. United, meanwhile, welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Saturday.

Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the action from an important night at Turf Moor.

Can Manchester United finish in the top four? Let us know in the comments below!

Top four hopes weakened

Ralf Rangnick was appointed Man Utd manager in November to salvage the team's season (REUTERS)

Unless they win the Champions League - and few are backing them to do that - United's season will be judged on their Premier League performances between now and May.

At the moment, five teams are battling for the final Champions League spot: West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolves and the Red Devils.

Many have questioned whether Rangnick's side will be consistent enough to finish fourth, especially after their FA Cup defeat to Middlesbrough last Friday.

And Tuesday's result will not ease their lingering worries. West Ham's 1-0 victory against Watford on the same evening has seen them jump back into fourth.

VAR drama

Raphael Varane's early goal was disallowed by VAR (REUTERS)

United thought they'd taken the lead after just 12 minutes when Raphael Varane headed in a delicious delivery from Bruno Fernandes.

Neither referee Mike Dean nor his assistants noticed a foul, although VAR official Stuart Attwell became immediately concerned with Harry Maguire's role in the goal.

The United skipper blocked Rodriguez as he tried to follow Varane, his runner.

Maguire wasn't flagged offside and it wasn't a "clear and obvious" foul. Attwell told Dean to look at the pitch-side monitor and, after that, there was only one outcome.

Dean gave a foul and it remained goalless... but not for long.

Later on, Dean gave Maguire just a booking for bringing down Rodriguez. The Burnley striker was through on goal and Maguire was lucky not to see red.

Ronaldo not a runner

Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped by Rangnick (Getty Images)

United fans were stunned before the game, as Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench in favour of Edinson Cavani.

"Today will require a lot of sprinting, chasing balls and a lot of fight for second balls," said Rangnick. "I decided to start with Edi because he has the kind of profile that suits what we want."

United certainly had more energy in the first half, finding the back of the net three times in the opening 21 minutes. Two of those goals were disallowed for fouls.

Ronaldo came on in the 68th minute but to little avail, failing to worry Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Rangnick, meanwhile, was left to rue his decision. Remember - when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dropped Ronaldo against Everton in October, he was questioned by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pogba's Premier League return

Paul Pogba scored on his Premier League comeback (Reuters)

All eyes were on Pogba this evening, as he made his first Premier League appearance since receiving a red card in United's humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool in October.

Playing alongside Scott McTominay in central midfield, the Frenchman made an instant impact - finishing off a lovely move in the 18th minute to make it 1-0.

Marcus Rashford played in Luke Shaw, who fizzed a low cross into the middle for Pogba to hammer into the roof of the net. It was quite the impact.

Three minutes later, however, he was at fault. The ball was again in Burnley's net - deflecting off a defender - but Pogba was judged to have fouled Erik Pieters.

Pogba was arguably United's best player at Turf Moor and Rangnick will hope he remains fit for the rest of the season. Whether he signs a new contract, though, remains unclear.

Burnley's situation

Sean Dyche will be confident of keeping Burnley in the Premier League (Getty Images)

Heading into the midweek fixtures, Burnley were bottom of the table - winning just one of the first 19 Premier League games this term.

Many believe Sean Dyche's side will succumb to relegation this season but - based on Tuesday's performance - it may be too soon to write them off.

Burnley lack quality - both defensively and offensively - yet they've got plenty of heart.

Wout Weghorst looked at home at Turf Moor, picking up bruising around his left eye in wet and windy conditions. Welcome to Lancashire.

His assist for Rodriguez's goal was excellent, holding up the ball well before playing a perfectly-timed pass into the feet of the former England international.

And Wegorst's stunning long-range effort in the second half deserved to ripple in the back of the net, as David de Gea produced a fine save.

Pope, meanwhile, remains a superb goalkeeper. He produced two excellent saves from Cavani and Rashford in the first half to keep his team in the game.

With Watford losing at West Ham and Newcastle beating Everton, Burnley are now four points from safety. It'll be fascinating to see how their relegation fight plays out.

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