Man United have seen their top four hopes wither as they were held to a 1-1 draw against bottom of the table Burnley on Tuesday night.
Paul Pogba’s first half strike was cancelled out by a Jay Rodriguez goal in the second half at Turf Moor. Man United failed to add to their goal tally with a number of missed chances ultimately their undoing.
The result means back to back draws for Ralph Rangnick’s side who surrendered a goal advantage in similar fashion to Championship team Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round.
The Red Devils were subsequently taken to extra time and then a shootout where they were knocked out of the competition via penalties.
Match Report
United started the match the brighter side and thought they’d taken the lead after the 10th minute when Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick found the head of Raphael Varane in the Burnley box. However, after VAR inspection, the goal was chalked off for offside.
Moments later, Man United once again had the ball in Burnley’s net as Shaw’s cross into the box found Paul Pogba who rifled a shot home.
The Red Devils thought they had doubled their lead via an own goal by Ben Mee but the goal was once again ruled out for a foul by Pogba on Erik Pieters.
Indeed Rangnick’s side were the much better side in the first half as the hosts struggled and failed to record a single shot on target.
However, moments after the interval, Burnley rallied to restore parity via Rodriguez after some sustained pressure on Man United.
Cristiano Ronaldo was introduced in the 68th minute as the Red Devils searched for a winner. However, it was not to be as neither side could add to their tally.
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The draw was United’s sixth of the season and Burnley’s 11th. Sean Dyche’s men have managed only one win so far this season as they remain rooted to the bottom of the table and four points from safety.
It is indeed worrying times for Man United as the dropped points means they have slipped out of the top four in the Premier League standings.
West Ham took advantage of United’s draw with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Watford which sent them into fourth place on the log.
All hope is not lost for Rangnick’s side though as they will look to capitalise on their game in hand over West Ham.
However, the chances of Man United making the top four look slim and they may have to rely on results elsewhere going in their favour to land a spot.
Rangnick reacts to the draw
“Again we played an excellent first half. We controlled and dominated the game. We scored the three goals but two were disallowed,” Rangnick told BT Sport.
“In the second half we were not aggressive enough. It was clear they would come out and be aggressive. The way we allowed them to score, we didn’t defend the whole situation.
“We scored three goals in the first half so I couldn’t blame the team for not having a killer instinct in the first half.
“In the end it was also a little question of luck. One point for a performance like this is just not enough.”
Manchester United will be looking to bounce back when they welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Saturday, February 12.
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