MANCHESTER UNITED CRUISED to a morale-boosting 3-1 win against Burnley on the eve of Alex Ferguson’s 80th birthday on Thursday to strengthen their push for a Premier League top-four finish.
Scott McTominay put United in front early and a Ben Mee own goal doubled their lead before Cristiano Ronaldo finished impudently to put Ralph Rangnick’s men 3-0 up.
Veteran winger Aaron Lennon punctured the party atmosphere at Old Trafford towards the end of the first half, giving Sean Dyche’s struggling Burnley hope, but United largely bossed the second period.
The Red Devils are now four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with a game in hand after interim manager Rangnick shook up his team following a disappointing draw at Newcastle.
Rangnick, still unbeaten since taking over from the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, made six changes, shuffling his defence and starting Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani in attack.
Bruno Fernandes was suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card of the league season.
Burnley have suffered suffering a number of postponements as a result of coronavirus and a snow-bound pitch and the Covid-19 again disrupted Dyche’s plans at Old Trafford.
Dyche, whose side had not played since December 12, confirmed before the game that Josh Brownhill, Nick Pope, Jay Rodriguez and Kevin Long had missed out after testing positive for the virus.
Both teams made a bright start to the game, with Burnley’s Chris Wood heading over from close range and Ronaldo side-footing over with just the goalkeeper to beat after a fine pass from the recalled Luke Shaw.
- McTominay strike -
United opened the scoring in the eighth minute, when Mason Greenwood cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Ronaldo’s first touch fell for McTominay, who hit a sweet right-footed shot past Wayne Hennessey.
The home side extended their advantage in the 27th minute in front former manager Ferguson, who was at the helm the last time they won the Premier League, in 2013.
Sancho was freed the left by Shaw and the former Borussia Dortmund player cut inside onto his right foot before hitting a low strike that nestled in the corner via a slight touch from Burnley captain Mee.
A superb McTominay effort was met by a similarly impressive stop by the flying Hennessey, who tipped the strike onto a post only for Ronaldo to react by flicking the loose ball into an empty net with the outside of his right boot.
The goal looked to have wrapped up victory for United but their porous defence conceded again as Lennon produced a clinical finish to beat David de Gea after a fine driving run.
The second half started at a more sedate pace but the confident McTominay again tried his luck from range shortly after the hour mark, forcing Hennessey to tip over.
United were largely in control for the rest of the match as they ended 2021 on a high despite a couple of late scares.
The defeat leaves Burnley mired in relegation trouble, third from bottom of the table with just a single Premier League win all season.
Close in on 4th = Are in 6th place which will be 7th place after spurs play their game in hand
@Chief: I’m on my way to being a millionaire after buying a ticket today.
@Chief: close in on 4th= 3 points closer to 4th than 3 hours ago.
Does that mean a couple of more wins and they be closing in on top spot? Daft journslism
@Mel Finn: playing to the gallery.
Peter Wright looking good in darts.
@Paul Gorry: dont know we weren’t watching it? Your in the wrong article again..
@Pauly Kel: Happy new year pauly, it was just a jest.
@Paul Gorry: you too man.
@Paul Gorry: obsessed. Typical scouser.
@Pauly Kel: appreciated Pauly.
@Karl Ó Cléirigh: give over karl my comment was light hearted for a bit of craic.now your comment is looking like you’re obsessed?
@Paul Gorry: I don’t see it that way but hey all you scouse fans are the same.
@Karl Ó Cléirigh: ok karl iam trying to relise ye a good bloke or a bad bloke?But now realise yer a bad bloke. Yer immature comment says it all really.
@Paul Gorry: grow up haha
@Karl Ó Cléirigh: oh the irony karl.
@Paul Gorry: the irony being you (a Liverpool fan) putting a smart comment on a United story and people are calling you out on it and you’re getting defensive?! Very ironic don’t you think?…..
What has Ferguson’s 80th birthday got to do with it?
@PeterC: got to do, got to do with it?
Strange lack of liverpool and Chelsea fans passing comments on man utds performance here tonight after the last couple of nights..
@Pol Mlp: i would have pol but I was watching the darts. More exciting to be fair.
@Paul Gorry: good point…anderson v humphries will be a 180 fest on new years day methinks
@Paul Gorry: Don’t think you can objectively say “more exciting to be fair” if you only watched the darts. That’s a rather silly comment to make in fairness. If you watched both you could make that comparison. What was better on the 28th? Liverpool or the darts?
@Pol Mlp: Liverpool and Chelsea fans only worry about teams at the top end of the table. Not mid table teams like utd.
@David Gaffney: liverpool obviously. Iam fluck ing having a laugh here David. Lighten up.
Really. Here we go they draw with Newcastle and win tonight against teams that more than likely will get relegated. Oh well done Utd
@Marcus Springfield: your correct. They should only report on games that United lose.
@Marcus Springfield: Really? Oh really??
@Brian Dunne: Yeah and especially the games where they get hammered… It makes some sleep well at nite here. So dull when there’s no United bashing to be had in the comments section!
@Brian Dunne: they would run out of ink then ;)
Dillusional. 4th place is Westham Spurs or Arsenal. Utd are done.
@Paul Smith: on the sherry early then…
@Paul Smith: Yeah you wish… The usual garbage… Top 4 is open to a few teams this year and it’ll be interesting regardless of who you support
3pts. Good game from mcsauce. A game of two halves, first exciting, second boring af. Onto the next one. Jack Byrne an assured presence in the studio on the punditry.
@Fred spins kdb: Definitely a better performance than recently + Wan Bissaka looked better tonight…still a lot of work to do but some positives even if the 2nd half was a snooze fest!
Looks like Scotty Mac got some new shooting boots off Santy… 1st half was good, 2nd half not so good.. 3 points and move on hopefully win the game in hand over West Ham and Arsenal.. And hope that Spurs make a mess of theirs
As United fan I wouldn’t make such a statement about them pushing for fourth just one win after a dismal match against Newcastle. If the top is where we want to be then we should constantly be demanding more, not getting ahead of ourselves over short term success.
Liverpool and Chelsea looking wobbly.
Well, considering Utd will be doing well to get 60 points this season, you can understand understand them wanting to celebrate one of their own achieving any sort of 80 this season !!!