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Manchester United continued their push for a UEFA Champions League spot with a hard-fought 2-0 away win against Burnley. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side dominated the game in the early stages and came close to scoring on a few occasions, with the most notable moment being a Phil Bardsley goal-line clearance preventing Anthony Martial from breaking the deadlock in the first half.
The Frenchman eventually managed to score the opener after a poor defensive error from the home side was punished. Burnley entered the pitch with intent at the restart and began invading the Red Devils' half, with long balls being launched into their box. However, to their dismay, the rotated United backline dealt with the pressure and managed to successfully shut out Sean Dyche's men, earning their first clean sheet since September in the process.
If that wasn't bad enough, the electric Daniel James picked up the ball in his side's half and sparked a blazing counter to find Marcus Rashford, who eventually sealed the game with the second goal after having initially slipped. The second killed any Burnley hopes of stealing a point from the jaws of defeat.
Here, we take a look at some of the hits and flops from the game.
Hit: Daniel James
One of the three players that were brought in during Solskjaer's first summer at the club, Daniel James has begun to grow in stature and has had a superb debut season for the club so far. After being rested for United's thumping victory against Newcastle United, James proved to be a thorn in Burnley's side throughout the game, more notably in the second half.
The electric winger was constantly threatening to set off on a counter-attack and as a result, James was tackled recklessly by the home side in an attempt to stop him. The Welshman was fouled five times, the most any player had suffered during the game.
The former Swansea City man was, though, rewarded for an excellent shift put in with an assist to wrap up the game for his side. He registered a solitary key pass, two shots and an assist during the game.
Another crucial statistic from his side's win at Burnley was that he also attempted the most number of tackles by any player on the pitch (4), further highlighting his willingness to help the team out defensively apart from his significant contribution going forward.
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Flop: Ashley Barnes
Ashley Barnes began the season in spectacular fashion which saw his stock rise to a point where there was talk of him being called up by England, only for Gareth Southgate to dismiss them later. Fast forward a few months and the forward now has 2 goals in his last 15 appearances for the Clarets, which came at home against West Ham and away at Watford.
He had an unusually quiet game against Solskjaer's side despite his poor form in recent times, being able to register just 1 shot let alone a shot on target, 1 key pass, and was caught offside on 3 occasions by United's defence.
His involvement in the game in general was never really prominent and Barnes had a mere 18 touches of the ball in the game.
The 30-year-old had a night to forget at Turf Moor, and Sean Dyche would be praying for his star centre-forward to regain his goalscoring touch to help Burnley break into the top half of the table.
Hit: Brandon Williams
Despite winning United's Player of the Season award during the 2018/19 season, it can be argued that Luke Shaw is a recurring weak link in Solskjaer's setup. This season, it has become more evident, thanks to the Englishman's poor showings and Brandon Williams' superb ones.
At Turf Moor, Williams was his usual combative and effective self. He not only managed to shut out any threat from Phil Bardsley, his opposing full-back, but also ventured forward on a number of occasions. He even went on to deliver a couple of delicious driven crosses into the box but to his disappointment, not one of United's players could position themselves well enough to be on the receiving end of them.
Williams registered 63 touches of the ball, made 6 ball recoveries, won 3 fouls, created 2 chances and helped United earn their first clean sheet in about 15 games. The Englishman's work ethic and passionate displays further raise the question over Luke Shaw's future at the club and Williams did his growing reputation no harm with another matured display against Burnley.
Flop: Charlie Taylor
Without a doubt the most disappointed man on the pitch, it was Charlie Taylor's horrendous attempt at shielding the ball and then passing it back to safety that lead to the opening goal of the game. The 26-year-old was arguably the worst player on the pitch and couldn't offer his side anything substantial on the night.
Taylor committed 3 fouls, attempted just one tackle, completed 3 out of 8 long balls attempted as well as launched 5 crosses over the course of the game. Late in the first half, he was trying to find a wide player from the left but was closed down by Andreas Pereira, who then latched onto Taylor's misplaced back-pass and served Martial on a platter with an accurate ball into the box.
Martial's cool finish sent United on their way and unfortunately haunted Taylor, who much like Barnes had a night to forget.
Hit: Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial has been a polarising figure for Manchester United in recent years. Despite all the issues he's had both on and off the field, the enigmatic Frenchman has enjoyed a great season so far, barring his injury setbacks. Against Burnley, he was at his crafty best and nicked the opener with a superb finish.
He took a touch and delayed the shot after which he poked the ball past an onrushing Nick Pope to open the scoring for Manchester United in the first half. His goal aside, Martial did look the likeliest to get on the scoresheet for the away side and came very close to doing so on a couple of occasions, including a lightning-fast counter towards the end of the game which ended in a United corner after Jesse Lingard couldn't produce the finish.
Martial, playing in his preferred central role, registered 4 shots out of which 3 were on target and was a constant threat on the counter. His goal takes him to 10 for the season in all competitions.
The Frenchman was constantly dropping deep to collect the ball and exchange passes with his teammates. His combination play with Marcus Rashford was crucial and helped carve the Burnley defence time and again.
