Manchester United dropped two points against Burnley after letting a lead slip once again.
Just like away at Aston Villa and at home to Middlesbrough, United allowed the opposition to come back into the game and deny them the win.
United played very well in the first half and were unlucky not to have scored at least three goals. Two were ruled out by VAR.
Bruno Fernandes was central to United’s creativity. In the first half alone he provided five goalscoring opportunities.
Fernandes had an ‘assist’ from a set piece for Raphael Varane’s header, which was ruled out after Harry Maguire was judged offside.
Fernandes’ pass from the free-kick was outstanding and in the first half Burnley had no answer for him.
His teammates’ finishing was not at the level required and Fernandes could not keep up the same pace in the second half.
A tale of two halves
Fernandes created six chances in total, an impressive figure. But in the second half there was only one, compared to five in the first 45 minutes.
This summed up how United went. Usually when Fernandes is playing well, United dominate. His impact subsided in the second half and as a team, United dropped off.
United’s reliance on Fernandes was summed up by the rest of the team’s numbers. While Fernandes created six chances, the other players created seven combined.
These were Diogo Dalot (2), Luke Shaw (2), Jadon Sancho (2), and Marcus Rashford (1).
Fernandes needed a little more help as his incisiveness dropped off after half-time. Paul Pogba scored United’s goal, but is also capable of offering more, as he showed on the first day of the season when he provided four assists in one game. He didn’t even create a chance against Burnley.
Fernandes can hold his head high, the team created enough opportunities, the bigger problem was the finishing.
This was a repeat of the Middlesbrough game, without the extra-time and penalty shootout. The team learned again that if you don’t take your chances, ultimately you will pay.
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