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That is that, as a superb Anthony Martial goal consigns Burnley to the punishment they have inflicted upon so many this season a 1-0 win that grew on the viewer as it went on.
95' Fellaini tries a backheel and Burnley pour forward but Rashford hacks away Bardsley's ball into the box. Nkoudou spins and spins and Burnley have a corner. POPE HAS COME FORWARD
94' Tony Martial departs to a lovely ovation from the United faithful who have made the short trip to Turf Moor, and Ander Herrera sprints on in his stead.
90' United counter once again through the pace of Rashford and Pogba. The Frenchman finding his young Mancunian colleague on the edge of the box, but he dawdles on it and allows Taylor to nick it off him. Poor from Rashford with Lukaku waiting int he box
88' UFF! Martial rips Bardsley's very soul out of his being with a smashing run into the box that ends with him smashing at goal - where Pope sticks out a strong man to parry it away.
87' A cheeky backheel from Pogba frees up Fellaini who sends Rashford on his way - but the Englishman's ball into Martial is a weak one. Pogba runs on to it and feeds MArtial who tries to pick out Lukaku, but the ball's a useless one.
83' Burnley have well and truly pegged United back into their corner, but Fellaini's sheer bulk and Pogba's vision sends Rashford off down the wing. He holds it up, feeds it to Pogba - who plays a cute pass to Martial and the Frenchman pulls off some more outrageously brilliant footwork to hoodwink Tarkowski but Mee's back there covering.
79' Paul Pogba sends Martial on his way and the Frenchman plays it out wide to Jesse "Messi" Lingard but the man-of-the-hour can only hit Mee with his shot. That's his last bit of action as Mourinho brings on Rashford in his stead
76' Nemanja Matic goes into the book for upending Barnes at the centre circle. He then gets on the end of the freekick but under pressure he can only head it wide
74' Burnley are pressing United farther and farther... Gudmundsson plays a knock-down into the box where Jones pulls of a clearance of such acrobatic wonder the commentator mistakes him for Mata. The ball lands at Pogba's feet who marauds into the Burnley third, sends Tarkowski to fetch a pail of water, and with Martial as free as he can be to his left smacks a ball into Mee's legs. Sigh.
72' Mata is hooked for Fellaini as Mourinho readies himself for the inevitable aerial assault... Lukaku is set free, meanwhile, and he waits and waits for Pogba to ghost in at the far post but he overhits his cross.
71' The corner is half cleared, but Lukaku is robbed off the ball and Gudmundsson plays a delicious ball across the box that flies this far away from Tarkowski's outstretched boot. WOOF! It took a touch of Smalling's knee that -great defending from the Englishman
69' OOOOOOH TASTY! Paul Pogba flies into Jack Cork - he did get a piece of the ball, there - but Dean deems that a bookable offence. Yellow it is, then for the Frenchman
65' Tarkowski is at it again as he blocks a shot from Pogba - United come back and Lukaku gets the ball to feet inside the box; There's a ball available to Mata but the Belgian opts for shooting and it deflects away to nothingness
64' OH LUKAKU! The big Belgian does brilliantly to brush past Bardsley and race into the box - oozing menace with every step - but Tarkowski pulls out a stunning tackle to stop Lukaku from going one-on-one with Pope
63' Bardsley eases Lingard off the ball, though, and Burnley are out of the traps - Jones does ever so well to make sure Arfield doesn't race into the box.
62' Martial seems to be full of running this half and is causing all sorts of bother down Burnley's left. He and Mata and Young get together to keep Burnley penned back in their own third, winning throw-in after throw0in
60' Jack Cork and Paul Pogba are at it - as the two get into each other's grilles. The freekick is dangerous-looking but Tarkowski is penalised for a push on Smalling
59' THIS GAME HAS SPRUNG TO LIFE! Matic gives the ball away near the centre circle and Burnley swarm forward and some superb passing ends with Barnes knocking a header down into Smalling - cries from handball, but there's no way any referee, even Mike Dean, is giving that
56' Barnes does what Barnes does ever so well and wins a freekick at the edge of the box. Defour will look to recreate his effort from Boxing Day in front of his adoring congregation
WOOF! That stemmed from Romelu Lukaku's sheer commitment. He hassled, harried and bullied three Claret shirts before playing an inch-perfect pass to Martial who controlled it, gave Pope the eyes and smacked it into the roof of the net. SUPERB GOAL, THAT
53' Burnley counter-attack but all their slick passing ends with Barnes smacking into Smalling's large frame... at the opposite end United's counter ends with Mata smacking it into Bardsley's considerable mass. Story of the match so far
47' OH MY! Lukaku chests a Matic hammer-blow of a crossfield before playing in Lingard but as the Englishman gets to the area of the park he so loves (just outside the box) he gets crowded out - and so does Lukaku, who reacts with the petulance of a three-year old.
46' Burnley go as route-one as route-one could be with a ball hoofed up to Barnes who knocks it down to Arfield who attempts to find Gudmundsson at the far post but Young does well to see United through that primeval passage of play
46' ONE MINUTE OFF ADDED TIME! AND THE BEST OF UNITED'S ATTACKING PLAY. Pogba picks out Martial with another superb ball, and the United no, 11 shows off some outrageously good footwork to work an inch of space in that congested Burnley box - but can only screw his shot wide.
That is that, as a superb Anthony Martial goal consigns Burnley to the punishment they have inflicted upon so many this season a 1-0 win that grew on the viewer as it went on.
Thanks for reading, 'twas a pleasure!
Anirudh Menon signing out,
Toodle-ooo!