That’s your lot. Thanks for joining me tonight, and for your emails and tweets. It was an excellent game. See you next time!
Jamie Jackson's match report
Ralf Rangnick speaks!
We scored three goals, and I thought especially the second one that was disallowed was wrong. This was a very soft decision. We played an excellent first half but we were not aggressive in the first 15 minutes of the second half. It was a very frustrating night. One point from a performance like this is not enough.
Tonight’s other results: Newcastle 3-1 Everton.
With Newcastle beating Everton to climb out of the relegation zone, Burnley actually finish the night one point further adrift of safety. But Dyche will be happy with his side’s display, and will need an equally good one when Liverpool arrive at Turf Moor on Sunday. Here’s the latest league table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 23 | 41 | 57 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 22 | 39 | 48 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 24 | 30 | 47 |
| 4 | West Ham | 24 | 11 | 40 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 23 | 6 | 39 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 21 | 8 | 36 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 2 | 36 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Brighton | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| 10 | Leicester | 20 | -3 | 26 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 21 | -4 | 26 |
| 12 | Southampton | 22 | -8 | 25 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 22 | -3 | 24 |
| 14 | Brentford | 23 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | Leeds | 21 | -16 | 22 |
| 16 | Everton | 21 | -13 | 19 |
| 17 | Newcastle | 22 | -20 | 18 |
| 18 | Norwich | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 19 | Watford | 22 | -18 | 15 |
| 20 | Burnley | 20 | -11 | 14 |
That Jay Rodriguez goal, by the way, was the first home Burnley goal against Manchester United since the 2009-10 season, when Robbie Blake scored a legendary goal to seal the Clarets’ first ever Premier League victory.
That will feel like two points dropped for Manchester United, who absolutely dominated the first half but were second best to a resilient Burnley side. Sean Dyche will be so proud of his side, but can they replicate that performance every week? I’m not sure, especially if injuries take their toll. It’s still unclear if Cornet will be set for a spell on the sidelines, he limped off.
Full-time: Burnley 1-1 Manchester United
Two great goals, some excellent saves, and a deserved point for both sides.
90+2 min: Corner to Manchester United, the ball is initially cleared by Burnley but Fernandes volleys a shot towards the far corner, but a brilliant block from Mee sees off the danger for Burnley. The Burnley captain should surely take home the man-of-the-match award tonight.
90 min: Great cross from Elanga, and Ronaldo gets between Mee and Tarkowski, but can only glance another header over the bar!
Four minutes of added time here.
88 min: Burnley make another sub: goalscorer Rodriguez off, Ashley Barnes on for his first appearance since October.
87 min: Sancho goes down in a heap. He’s OK, I think. The game has stuttered somewhat, and that will be to Burnley’s liking.
85 min: Rangnick makes his final change: Elanga on for Rashford.
84 min: Burnley come forward again, McNeil’s cross so nearly falls to Weghorst, but United’s defenders get the run of the ball.
82 min: Should mention Jesse Lingard, so nearly left out of Manchester United’s Premier League squad for the season, has come on for McTominay.
80 min: The camera pans to Sir Alex Ferguson in the stands, sat with his old mate David Gill. Some things never change.
78 min: Two chances for United! A mazy run from Rashford and a clever pull back nearly results in a backheeled finish from Varane, but Ben Mee shows excellent anticipation to block the shot for a corner. From which, the ball comes out to Shaw and the left back delivers a pin-point cross to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese heads over under pressure from Mee!
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76 min: Brownhill auditions for the Superbowl this Sunday by manhandling Pogba to the ground in midfield, as the Frenchman breaks past his marker. Pogba throws down his gloves in disgust/frustration. Yellow for Brownhill. No complaints.
74 min: The rain means the ball and surface are extremely greasy. A few slips out there, a few clumsy touches.
71 min: A stoppage in play, as Tarkowski takes a blow on the head, repelling another Manchester United attack. This game is there for the taking, for both sides. Sancho, perhaps, seems the most likely matchwinner. He’s been excellent tonight.
68 min: Substitutions from both sides. Burnley bring on Aaron Lennon for Cornet, who is helped off as he limps from field. Hopefully that’s not a serious injury.
For the visitors, Cristiano Ronaldo (who turned 37 on Saturday) comes on for Cavani.
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66 min: Burnley go forward in numbers and a break of the ball sees Rodriguez streaming down the right wing, with four attackers to three defenders. But a poor cross from Rodriguez gives Cornet little chance at the back post. A waste!
64 min: An email from David Wall: “This match seems to be following the pattern of United’s cup game last Friday - playing pretty well, creating lots of chances, but not exploiting their domination. I wonder what ridiculous way they can find to throw away the win tonight.”
I’d say Maguire did a good job of nearly throwing it away with that ridiculous ‘challenge’.
62 min: Oooooo, Maguire is a lucky boy. The Manchester United defender misreads the flight of a long pump up the pitch from Pieters (try saying that five times fast) and brings Rodriguez down with a rugby tackle near the half-way line. Was Rodriguez through on goal? Maguire was certainly the last man but there is an argument that outrushing De Gea would have got to the ball before the Burnley forward. “Mike, Mike” says Maguire informally to Mike Dean, who brandishes a yellow card. Burnley are asking for a red card, or at least a VAR review. It remains a caution.
59 min: Here comes Ronaldo. He’s getting ready on United’s bench, kissing both shinpads as he slips them under his socks. Both shinpads, by the way, that appear to be adorned with a large picture of himself. Not a joke.
57 min: What a game we have on our hands. The home crowd are right behind their team, and while Manchester United are dominating possession, Burnley look dangerous. Weghorst is dominating both Maguire and Varane, and seemingly doing everything one touch.
55 min: Sancho, who seems to have found his mojo again, skips past a couple of tackles, before nutmegging Tarkowski. Fernandes’ subsequent shot is deflected behind, but Burnley clear.
53 min: From the corner, Pieters catches a volley so sweetly but the ball careers five yards wide. It was travelling, though!
52 min: SENSATIONAL SAVE FROM DE GEA. The Spaniard at full stretch to deny Weghorst, who turns away from his marker, gets a kind bounce and lashes a shot hurtling towards the bottom corner. The ball bounces awkwardly just before reaching De Gea, but the Manchester United keeper flings himself to his right and turns it behind! Fingertip stuff!
1-1! Sensational assist from Weghorst, who took both Maguire and McTominay out of play with one nifty turn, before playing Rodriguez in with a clever reverse pass. Rodriguez drove into the box, got in front of the backtracking Maguire and dinked a finish inside the near post! Burnley haven’t had a sniff all game but have come out after the break like a train. It’s 1-1.
GOAL! Burnley 1-1 Manchester United (Rodriguez 47)
Jay Rodriguez’s first league goal in 50 (FIFTY) appearances! A frantic start to the second half!
Updated
Peeeeeep! And we’re underway again at Turf Moor for the second half.
Half-time reading:
Burnley captain Ben Mee penned a few columns for us last year. Here is an excellent one on concussion and sticking your head in where it hurts, something Mee does so bravely.
Half-time: Burnley 0-1 Manchester United
Both teams will be relatively pleased. Burnley will be happy not to be 3-0 down, which they could easily be, while United will be delighted with their performance thus far.
45 min: Two minutes added on here.
44 min: McTominay does such a good job of mopping up after his teammates. So often, he’s in the right place at the right time to get a toe in or send United forward again.
42 min: Another half-chance for United: Cavani strikes a shot through a couple of bodies, but Tarkowski sticks out a leg to deflect the goalbound effort behind.
40 min: The game is opening up a little, as Burnley raise the tempo for the first time. Weghorst drops deep to link the play, releasing Cornet, who gets behind Dalot for the first time, although the cross is lacking. Now United counter-attack, with Rashford again denied by Pope at the near post. Another excellent save with his feet from Pope.
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37 min: Roberts has had a torrid time at right back for Burnley. Constantly exposed by Sancho and Shaw, and not helped at all by McNeil, who has offered little with or without the ball.
35 min: Fernandes finds a pocket of space inside the Burnley box, throws Roberts off balance with a shimmy but can only prod a shot towards Pope at his near post. Easy save.
33 min: WHAT A SAVE FROM NICK POPE. The Burnley keeper somehow denies Cavani at the back post. Shaw (who has been excellent down United’s left) gets to the byline once more, his cross is deflected; spooning up into the air towards Cavani’s forehead, seemingly with half an open goal to nod into, from, all of two yards out. Time stands still as the ball comes down from the heavens, but such is the flight on the ball, that Pope scrambles from post to post, hurling himself towards Cavani, and the striker can only head the ball onto Pope’s knee, as the keeper spreads himself. Brilliant.
31 min: McTominay funks a long-range effort high and wide after a deft control from Fernandes. Both the Portuguese and Pogba have shown some neat touches thus far.
29 min: Weghorst, already sporting a shiner on his left eye, gets poked in the eye by Maguire. Looks nasty, but the Dutchman is OK to continue.
27 min: There have been two own goals at St James’ Park, in another of tonight’s games. Check in with Scott Murray for the latest.
25 min: It’s been a breathless few minutes and could easily be 3-0 to Manchester United. As things stand, Burnley are still just about in the game.
ANOTHER MAN UTD GOAL DISALLOWED!
20 min: Another Manchester United goal has been chalked off! It remains 1-0 to the visitors, and Burnley can count themselves very lucky! Shaw swings another cross in, this time from deep, and Pogba is judged to foul Pieters at the back post. The ball finds its way to Rashford, who bundles a ball back into the box. A mix-up sees a combination of Brownhill and Mee toepoke the ball into their own net! But no matter, the linesman has flagged for the foul. It’s a soft decision.
Updated
1-0! A brilliant response from the visitors, who could easily have been dismayed by that VAR decision. Instead, they come roaring back. Fernandes spreads a wonderful volleyed pass out to Rashford on the left, Shaw overlaps brilliantly and gets the ball on the byline. Shaw cuts the ball back, and Pogba arrives late into the box to sidefoot the ball into the roof of the net. It was a wonderfully controlled finish – he had to go high to get the ball through the forest of bodies! Lovely goal.
GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Manchester United (Pogba 18)
This one will stand! It’s an excellent team goal. Pogba has done it again at Turf Moor.
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16 min: What a let off for Burnley.
GOAL DISALLOWED. It remains Burnley 0-0 Manchester United
Rangnick is bemused, but Maguire’s block was certainly a calculated one, creating space for Varane to plant a magnificent header back across goal, past Pope. That would have been the Frenchman’s first goal for United, but not to be.
Oooooo, Mike Dean is going over to the monitor to have a look at this. This could be disallowed. There are potentially two things wrong with it. Harry Maguire did not challenge for the ball but blocked Jay Rodriguez as Bruno Fernandes’ cross came into the box. That could be deemed a foul, and he also made that block from an offside position …
GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Manchester United (Varane 12)
United score from a set piece! They have out-Burnleyed Burnley!
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8 min: A first save for Pope in Burnley’s goal! Rashford finds some space on the right and lashes a fierce drive at the near post, but the angle makes it a comfortable save for his England team-mate.
6 min: Burnley take a quick free kick, with Cornet released down the left, and the Ivory Coast international squirms a neat cross low across the box, but it’s behind Rodriguez and Weghorst, and cleared by Shaw on the penalty spot. A dangerous attack for Burnley, although replays show Cornet was offside.
4 min: Cavani slyly pushes Roberts in the box as he tries to latch onto a header from McTominay, but the Uruguayan is penalised.
Updated
2 min: A scrappy opening. Nobody has got their foot on the ball yet.
An email from Peter Oh: “If I were Paul Pogba I’d be unhappy that my manager couldn’t come up with something better than “ ‘cos Fred has got Covid” when asked why I got the nod to start.”
The players take the knee. There is no room for discrimination in our society.
There is a minute’s silence as Burnley honour former players and supporters that have lost their lives over the past year. A substantial list of names and ages is displayed on the big screen. The silence is impeccably observed.
The teams are out. Burnley is their famous claret and blue, Manchester United in their changed strip of dark blue with a neon yellow trim. Interesting to see Weghorst going around geeing up his Burnley teammates, sporting a black eye. Looks like a real leader, already!
The latest from David Squires, featuring Ed Woodward and Ralf Rangnick.
The wind is howling, the rain is lashing down. There’s a young lad proudly showing two pints of milk to the camera. THIS IS TURF MOOR.
Ralf Rangnick speaks!
On selecting Cavani over Ronaldo:
Today will require a lot of sprinting, a lot of fighting for second balls.
On starting Pogba:
Since Fred tested positive for Covid, it was clear that Paul would start.
You can keep up to date with another big game at the bottom, Newcastle v Everton, right here.
Sean Dyche speaks!
We’ve got to turn the tight games into wins. It’s not so easy against this sort of opposition.
Weghorst has been terrific. Very professional. He’s a bright fella and very open minded to what we’re trying to do.
Some damning stats, as far as Burnley are concerned.
They are 20th in the league for total shots on target, shot accuracy, and chances created, and 19th for goals. Eeeesh.
Weghorst and Cornet aside, seeing that Burnley XI written down like that just shows what a magnificent job Dyche has done to keep this team in the division. Dwight McNeil is a good player, but has flattered to deceive this season. He has an opportunity to impress against the team that released him as a youth.
So, Paul Pogba starts his first league game since mid-October. Cristiano Ronaldo is only good enough for the bench. Sancho keeps his place after his goal against Middlesbrough.
Team news: Mike Dean is in
Burnley: Pope, Roberts, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters, Cornet, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Rodriguez, Weghorst.
Subs: Lowton, Cork, Barnes, Hennessey, Stephens, Lennon, Collins, Bardsley, Long.
Manchester United: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Pogba, McTominay, Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho, Cavani.
Subs: Lindelof, Jones, Ronaldo, Mata, Lingard, Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Matic, Elanga.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Updated
Preamble
Wout Weghorst v Harry Maguire. If you are not entertained by the thought of these two going slabhead to slabhead for an aerial dual, do you even believe in Barclays? This is our football heritage, the bedrock of our culture. Huge men doing massive things. Big Sam throwing Chris Samba up top for the last five minutes. Chris Sutton, Gary Doherty and Dion Dublin seamlessly interchanging between centre back and striker. The camera panning to that bloke with the Newcastle tattoos on his belly. Welcome to the Premier League.
Of course, in case you wanted more from this MBM that just marvelling at James Tarkowski’s thighs, then you’ll probably be wanting some context to this match. Burnley are rock bottom of the table, but just three points adrift of 17th-placed Norwich. But things are not all doom and gloom, Maxwel Cornet is back from the Africa Cup of Nations and the Clarets have plenty of games in hand on their relegation rivals, owing to a few of their games being postponed due to Covid.
Manchester United have had a turbulent few weeks, what with the Mason Greenwood saga and an FA Cup exit at home to Middlesbrough, but remain very much in contention for Champions League qualification. Their recent record at Turf Moor is excellent, winning their last five visits, with the most recent outing settled by a fabulous volley by Paul Pogba.
Kick off is at 8pm, and this is the third best place you can keep up with the action, after Turf Moor itself and The Royal Dyche. We’ll also try and keep you abreast of all other Premier League goals in two other 7.45pm kick-offs: Newcastle v Everton and West Ham v Watford.
