The first game of Manchester United’s post-Amorim era ended in a two-goal draw at Burnley’s home, in a match counting for matchday 21 of the Premier League.
Darren Fletcher’s first eleven at the helm of Manchester United included Diogo Dalot and the returned Bruno Fernandes, who returned to the starting lineup after three games out due to injury. Florentino Luís was the choice for Scott Parker, who took the lead in the 12th minute: Humphreys rose up the field, received the ball in the area after great passivity from Casemiro, crossed and the ball deflected off Ayden Heaven, betraying Lammens’ movement and thus making the match 1-0.
This was the result that lasted until half-time, in a first half in which Burnley… didn’t even have a shot on goal. Man. United had some difficulties in creating real danger in the first minutes, but, in the second half of the first half, they had several opportunities to at least reach a draw. The first to threaten was Matheus Cunha, who, with a header, forced Humphreys into a spectacular cut over the line. Sesko headed very dangerously in the 43rd minute to force Dúbravka into a fantastic flight and, at the end of the first half, Dorgu received the ball from Bruno Fernandes and shot over the opposing goalkeeper, but Estève, again close to the line, avoided the equalizer.
In the middle, at 28′, Lisandro Martínez still scored, but the move, following a corner, was invalidated due to the Argentine’s foul on Kyle Walker. The break arrived with Manchester United dominating and Burnley returned to the booths without shots taken… and another goal scored.
Os red devils They returned from rest with the desire to look for the goal and with two protagonists, one more than the other, in the decisive moments. It was in the 50th minute that the equalizer arrived: Bruno Fernandes, with an excellent pass to the back of the defense, found Benjamin Sesko, who, first time, equalized. Five minutes later, the Portuguese international received the ball from Lisandro Martínez and shot it at the post and, in the 57th minute, he hit the corner with precision, weight and measure, which Heaven, at the far post, was unable to take advantage of.
The one who showed his effectiveness again was Sesko, who, 10 minutes after equalizing, shot Dorgu’s cross and completed a perfect opening quarter of an hour of the second half for Manchester United, who managed to do what they hadn’t done in the first half: translate the advantage and quality in the game into goals.
After 2-0, Bruno Fernandes left to make way for Mason Mount, a change that took place three minutes after Jaidon Anthony’s entry. And if the departure of the Man. United captain, who, from Fletcher’s words in the preview, it was already known that his minutes were numbered in this return to the competition, was a catalyst for greater creative incapacity of the United team’s Manchester, Anthony’s entry on side two clarets It was… decisive: in the 66th minute, he received it from ex-Sporting player Marcus Edwards, cut to the middle and scored, with the hosts’ first shot on goal, the home team’s second goal of the match.
That was, in fact, Burnley’s first and last framed shot of the match. Manchester United grew again, without the clarity of those first 15 minutes of the second half, but Sesko still managed, on two occasions, to threaten Dúbravka’s goal. Shea Lacey came on in the 84th minute and, in the next minute, almost made his debut in the club’s shirt, but his arched shot hit the post with a bang. It was the 15th time that the Manchester team hit the woodwork in the Premier League, more than any other team in the Premier League.
The result did not change any further and the first game of the post-Amorim era ended with the same outcome as the Portuguese coach’s last: with a draw at home to a newly promoted team. Manchester United scored two goals, hit the woodwork twice and even saw two shots cut off the line. Burnley, who only had one shot in the entire match… also scored two goals.
