Manchester United 0-2 Burnley: 5 Talking Points from the game | Premier League 2019/20

Manchester United hosted Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday night for the 24th matchday of the Premier League. The hosts were coming into this game on the back of a loss to runaway leaders Liverpool, while the away side won their last match against Leicester City.

In the first half, Manchester United started really well and created three clear cut chances. Two of them were missed by Anthony Martial, while Juan Mata missed one. United were made to pay for those missed chances as Burnley created one set-piece opportunity and they scored, thanks to a brilliant volley finish by Chris Wood.

In the second half, the visitors struck the killer blow as Jay Rodriguez scored an absolute belter beating David de Gea at the near post. After that, it was all about keeping a clean sheet for Burnley and to be honest, United never looked like they were going to score and come back into the game.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's substitutions didn't work and United lost their second consecutive game in the Premier League. Here, we are going to take a look at the five talking points from the game.

---

#5 Manchester United weren't clinical in the first half

Anthony Martial was found wanting on the day

In the first 30 minutes, there was only one team that looked like scoring and it was Manchester United. Aaron Wan-Bissaka created three very good opportunities with his low crosses; one was missed by Anthony Martial, when all he had to do was get a touch.

The second chance was missed by Andreas Pereira, which was the hardest of the lot, while the third fell to Juan Mata and the Spaniard fluffed his lines when all he had to do was tap the ball in.

Then, Nemanja Matic played Martial through on goal but the Frenchman's bad touch meant that he couldn't get his shot away, when he should have. It wasn't as if United didn't have opportunities because they had some and the Red Devils weren't clinical in front of goal. That, in the end, came back to bite the home side.

#4 Harry Maguire had his worst game in a Manchester United shirt

Harry Maguire had a night to forget

Harry Maguire's poor defending was the reason why Burnley scored two goals on the day. His positioning and marking during set-pieces were found wanting and it has been like this since the start of the season.

He gave Chris Wood way too much space when the Burnley striker scored the goal and to be frank, the United captain shouldn't have allowed Wood to get into that position in the first place.

Then, for the second goal also, Maguire was very slow in realising that Jay Rodriguez was going to take a shot. He didn't close his man down, which allowed Rodriguez the space to let fly from there. Apart from the obvious mistakes, the Englishman looked nervous on the ball and he was never a commanding presence.

Manchester United signed Maguire on a world-record fee for a defender but so far, he has done nothing that justifies that transfer fee.

---

#3 Burnley had a plan and they executed it perfectly

Jay Rodriguez scored an absolute scorcher

Sean Dyche came to Old Trafford with a plan. It was to soak up the early pressure, which Burnley did, create set-piece opportunities and take advantage of United's vulnerabilities. Once the visitors were ahead, it was all about getting back into a defensive shape and trying to hit United on the counter.

They did exactly that in the second period and got themselves a deserved two-goal advantage. Post that, United never looked like they were going to open up Burnley's solid 4-4-2 formation and actually score.

Defensively, Burnley sat deep and didn't keep a high line because they knew United have pace and could hurt them badly. It was a tactic that worked a treat and all in all, it was a brilliant performance from the away side and it looks like they are finally finding some momentum.

#2 Andreas Pereira had another shocker, which perfectly highlights Solskjaer's shortcomings

Andreas Pereira needs to be dropped

Andreas Pereira hasn't been performing at a certain level for Manchester United for a while now and yet, Solskjaer never really drops him. The same thing was on show today; Pereira started and he was by far the worst player on the pitch, which meant Solskjaer had to take him off at the start of the second period.

Mason Greenwood, who should have started, came on for the Brazilian and this is something that highlights Solskjaer's shortcomings as a manager. He has often been criticised for his team selection and against Burnley, he got his starting lineup wrong. Against small teams, United needs some goal threat and Greenwood is, in Solskjaer's words, the best finisher in the team, so why not start him?

This was an obvious mistake from the Norwegian and one that he has made many times this season.

---

#1 Manchester United fail to close the gap to top 4.........again

Manchester United are in a never-ending cycle

Chelsea, who is currently fourth in the Premier League table, dropped points for two consecutive matchdays and on both occasions, United failed to capitalize. The Red Devils lost to Liverpool last weekend and now, they have lost to Burnley, which means Chelsea are six points clear of Solskjaer's team.

Here's a stat - Out of the eight opportunities United have had in the last twelve Premier League games to close the gap to fourth on Chelsea because of The Blues losing or drawing, the Red Devils have lost or drawn in six of those chances. It is a process that keeps on repeating itself and after some time, one has to stop and start asking questions about what is happening?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question can only be given by Solskjaer and at this moment, it looks like the Norwegian doesn't have many.