Manchester United 2-2 Burnley: Player Ratings

Lingard's double saw United share the spoils with Burnley at Old Trafford
Lingard's double saw United share the spoils with Burnley at Old Trafford

In a shocking Boxing Day result at Old Trafford, Manchester United were forced to share the spoils with an adamant Burnley side. Surprisingly, it was the visitors who took a two-goal lead in the first half and they looked destined to see out the game in the second period.

However, the Red Devils clawed back into the game courtesy of a brace by super-sub Jesse Lingard which saw the game end at 2-2.

With this result, United could see themselves a colossal 15 points adrift of rivals and league leaders Manchester City should they beat Newcastle on Wednesday night.

Manchester United

David De Gea: 6/10

This was undoubtedly not one of De Gea's best nights at Old Trafford. While he couldn't have done anything about the goals, he was guilty of having a lapse in concentration and also spilt the ball once and will be relieved that it didn't come to anything.

Ashley Young: 7/10

After a quiet first half, Ashley Young was more involved in the second period and proved to be a constant nightmare for Charlie Taylor and Scott Arfield. The Englishman bombed forward from the right-back position and played four key passes over the course of the game.

Phil Jones: 6/10

Phil Jones cannot take the blame for either of the two goals. He was seldom tested by the Burnley forwards and had a decent game overall.

Marcos Rojo: 4/10

The Argentine has failed to regain his prolific form from last season and struggled against the Clarets on Boxing Day. He handed the visitors a needless free-kick in the initial stages of the game which saw them take the lead. He also looked off the pace throughout the first 45 minutes before he was eventually subbed off at halftime.

Luke Shaw: 6.5/10

Shaw has been on a mission to win back his spot in the United lineup. He did his best to contribute in the final third and dealt with any threat Burnley had to offer on the counter.

Nemanja Matic: 6.5/10

Nemanja Matic did misplace a few passes in the final third but he was calm and composed defensively. The Serb had to step into the defensive line in the second half as United committed runners forward and he largely dispensed his duties with characteristic calmness.

Paul Pogba: 8/10

The Frenchman was United's best player on the pitch today. Pogba helped link United's defence to their attack and was synonymous with most of his side's contributions on goal. He bossed the midfield with his quick feet, physical presence and precise passing.

Juan Mata: 5/10

Mata started on the right flank in the hope that he would carry on from where he left off against Leicester. However, unfortunately for the Spaniard, he could not deal with the pressure of playing two games within the span of a few days, and his performance was abject, to say the least.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 4/10

Ibrahimovic failed to impress Mourinho in his first league start of the season and he was brought off at halftime. The Swede seemed to lack the end product and seldom found himself in goal-scoring positions despite starting the game as a striker.

Marcus Rashford: 5.5/10

Marcus Rashford failed to convince the Old Trafford faithful why he is a better option on the left flank than Anthony Martial. The Englishman had endless opportunities to drive in and create chances for his teammates, but his crossing was off the mark and struggled to get the better of Burnley right-back Phil Bardsley.

Romelu Lukaku: 5/10

The Belgian once again seemed like a lonely figure up front, particularly in the first half. It's hard to make him the scapegoat for United's disappointing showing going forward as he rarely saw the players behind him create opportunities for him. Lukaku was once again culpable of gifting a goal to the opposition as he continues to help the opposition in their set-pieces.

Substitutes

Jesse Lingard: 8/10

Even though Lingard played only 45 minutes, he salvaged a point for United with some brilliant finishing. His presence on the pitch saw United look a different force in the final third, and he scored both of team's goals to secure a point for them. Lingard has undoubtedly been United's best forward since his remarkable performance against Watford in late November and vindicated himself after missing from a yard out.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6/10

The Armenian was brought on to change the complexion of the game in the favour of the home side, and he did a fairly decent job at it. Mkhitaryan linked up well with the United's attackers but did not carve out too many telling goal-scoring opportunities for them.

Burnley

B
Burnley will be gutted to have conceded in stoppage time

Nick Pope: 7/10

Nick Pope has proven to be more than a capable deputy for the injured Tom Heaton and it showed again as he dealt with a flurry of second-half United attacks. Even though he ended up conceding two goals, they were strikes that weren't well dealt with by the defence and he cannot be blamed for them.

Phil Bardsley: 6.5/10

Known to have a penchant for surging forward, Bardsley was restricted to playing within the defensive third of the pitch and couldn't really put in a shift in the final third. However, he did with his defensive responsibilities perfectly as he kept Marcus Rashford at bay for the majority of the contest.

Kevin Long: 7.5/10

Another solid performance by the 27-year-old Irishman. Kevin Long made a game-high 11 clearances as he put in a phenomenal showing at centre-back. He rarely offered any room to the United attacking duo of Lukaku and Ibrahimovic in the first half.

Ben Mee: 7/10

Ben Mee's stock continued to soar after he put in another splendid display against one of the league's top scorers. Playing alongside Long at centre-half, Mee rarely seemed unruffled, and like his partner, he made an impressive 11 clearances throughout the course of the ninety minutes.

Charlie Taylor: 4.5/10

Charlie Taylor's tame performance was one of the major drawbacks on what was a cheerful evening for the Clarets. The Burnley left-back threw a cold shoulder on his defensive responsibilities, found himself out of position on numerous occasions, and was virtually all over the place against the Red Devils.

Jack Cork: 5/10

The Englishman was tasked to shield the back four from the United attackers, but he failed to do a good job. He was often outpaced and outmuscled by Pogba and Matic and his tackling was also off the mark. Not his best performance for the Clarets by any stretch of the imagination.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson: 7/10

The Icelandic winger started on the right flank and was heavily influential for Burnley in the first half when they appeared to play on the front foot. He combined well with Ashley Barnes and on occasion gave the United defenders a run for their money.

Steven Defour: 7.5/10

Defour was arguably Burnley's best performer and one of their hardest workers on the day. Not only did he score an immaculate free-kick that even a keeper of De Gea's calibre couldn't get his hands to, but he also provided solidity in the middle of the park and drifted forward to complement the likes of Gudmundsson, Barnes and Arfield in the final third.

Jeff Hendrick: 7/10

In the meagre amount of time Burnley had possession of the football, Hendrick was at the heart at most of their passes. He was one of the Clarets' most active players on the field and his accuracy of 75 percent was the highest that any Burnley man could achieve on the day.

Scott Arfield: 5.5/10

Arfield came close to finding the back of the net in the first half, and that was, unfortunately, his only telling contribution in the game. He often disappeared when Burnley looked to hit United on the break and definitely did not perform as per his manager's expectations.

Ashley Barnes: 7/10

The English striker scored the game's first goal and seemed up to the challenge in the initial stages of the contest. He drew players out of position with his darting runs, and on another day, he could have gone home with the man of the match award for his efforts.

Substitutions

Sam Vokes: 5/10

Vokes came on in the 65th minute as a like for like replacement for Barnes. Unlike his teammate, Vokes failed to have any real impact on the came and spent most of his time closing down the United players who monopolised possession.

Jonathan Walters: 4.5/10

The ill-tempered Irishman was brought on in the dying moments in the game when manager Sean Dyche opted for a 4-4-2. Not an out-and-out striker by trade, Walters seemed confused about what was expected of him and only touched the ball on six occasions after coming on.

Quick Links