Manchester United vs Burnley LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the news and action from Old Trafford
After something of a glum Christmas, characterised by Covid outbreaks and that dismal showing at St James’ Park, Ralf Rangnick can at least celebrate the new year with three points and a good win. Three goals in the opening 35 minutes sent Manchester United on their way to the biggest and best win of Rangnick’s interim spell so far, as relegation-threatened Burnley were swatted aside at Old Trafford.
An early breakthrough by the excellent Scott McTominay was followed by a Ben Mee own goal and customary Cristiano Ronaldo strike before the interval. Aaron Lennon pulled one back in reply but it proved to be a mere consolation. Victory allowed United to avoid the ignominy of ending a calendar year outside the top six for the first time since 1989. Small steps, granted, but they ones that need to be made.
While United are unbeaten in eight since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure, Burnley are on a more unwelcome streak and will enter 2022 still waiting for their second league win of the season. They have games in hand after four recent postponements and this was a spirited showing for their first outing in nearly three weeks but you expect that Sean Dyche would rather have points on the board.Follow all the reaction following Manchester United vs Burnley below:
Man United vs Burnley: Where will goals come from?
Neither team have exactly been free-scoring of late.
Under Rangnick, United have netted precisely one goal in each of his three league matches, against Palace, Norwich and Newcastle - the latter two having the worst defensive records in the Premier League.
Burnley meanwhile have not found the back of the net in well over a month - the caveat being postponed games obviously - and average fewer than one goal per match all season long.
Ralf Rangnick has not made as much progress as he had hoped at Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick has admitted he has not made as much progress as he might have hoped in stamping his authority on Manchester United.
Despite being unbeaten in four games in all competitions since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the Old Trafford helm on an interim basis, the highly-rated German coach has been frustrated in his efforts to implement his methods by the Covid-19 lay-off which saw his side not play for 16 days before Monday night’s 1-1 Premier League draw at struggling Newcastle.
Asked if he had achieved as much as he had wanted to in his initial weeks in charge, Rangnick said:
“Of course not. Every coach, every ambitious coach – and there’s no difference between other coaches and myself in that area – wants to take faster steps and larger steps forward.
More from the interim boss here:
Ralf Rangnick has not made as much progress as he had hoped at Manchester United
The Red Devils entertain Burnley at Old Trafford on Thursday evening
2021 European football review: Stadium riots, administrative mutiny, in-fighting and even a botched draw
How much can you remember about football around the continent over the past 12 months? It has been a helter-skelter ride beyond English shores, sometimes spectacular but often self-defeating from the game in the other top leagues.
Karl Matchett offers a review of 2021 from a European perspective, including the Champions League, the Euros over the summer and what has been going on around Serie A, LaLiga and beyond.
From the usual self-serving antics of those at the top to the fans who have gone way, way too far, there was a lot to take in and no single league looks yet prepared to challenge the Premier League’s dominance on the continental scene.
Sporadic success cannot hide European football’s endless problems in 2021
Dealing with Covid wasn’t enough so the continental game opted to indulge in stadium riots, administrative mutiny, in-fighting and even a botched draw of the self-proclaimed best competition in the world
Burnley boss Sean Dyche believes player welfare is ‘off the scale’
Sean Dyche has insisted player welfare is “off the scale” after Burnley were accused of putting players’ safety at risk by blocking the return to five substitutions.
Dyche has previously said that adopting a five-substitute rule in the Premier League would benefit the big clubs and suggests football has to be careful over the direction it takes.
“I keep hearing this term player welfare,” Dyche said as Burnley prepare to end an enforced 18-day break at Manchester United on Thursday. “I’ve got to be honest, I think the welfare of my players here is absolutely fantastic – the way they are looked after.
“Health and well-being is top of the list and we do that well here. Add to that the challenge of Covid – the players have got information coming out of their ears over the situation – medical support and the Premier League offering them all the testing programme… so it does make me question the idea of player welfare.
“The players have to be careful themselves because the welfare is off the scale for me, personally.”
Man United vs Burnley: the season so far
Heading into the game, United are of course in better shape than relegation-threatened Burnley.
It’s five unbeaten in a row for the Red Devils, with the last three of those coming since Ralf Rangnick took over from Michael Carrick as interim boss - all five without defeat have come since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. Even so, United sit only seventh in the table and won’t realistically go higher than sixth with a win tonight.
Burnley have won only once this season and sit 18th, two points from safety, but they have been draw specialists - losing just one of the last five, with four draws in that run and eight from 15 drawn this season overall.
Rangnick to demand more from Man United after they failed to match Newcastle’s effort and physicality
Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has told his players to get physical after they were branded “a bunch of whinge-bags” by former defender Gary Neville.
TV pundit Neville launched a half-time tirade during United’s 1-1 draw at struggling Newcastle on Monday evening in which substitute Edinson Cavani’s second-half equaliser at St James’ Park rescued a point.
Asked about the former United full-back’s comments after the game, Rangnick said: “I don’t think today it was a problem of body language, it was more a question of physicality, of meeting the demands with regard to speed, tempo, physicality. The side-effect is the body language afterwards.
“But I don’t think that was the major problem today for us, the major problem was the way that we played in those moments when it was about physicality.”
More here:
Ralf Rangnick defends body language of ‘whinge-bag’ Manchester United
TV pundit Gary Neville was withering in his half-time assessment
Manchester United vs Burnley confirmed line-ups
Here are the two teams for tonight:
Man United XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, McTominay; Greenwood, Sancho; Cavani, Ronaldo
Burnley XI: Hennessey; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Lennon, Wood
Ralf Rangnick urges people to ‘follow medical advice and get vaccinated’
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has urged people to follow medical advice and get vaccinated against coronavirus.
The Premier League schedule has been hit by a spate of postponements at a time when positive cases are rising across the country.
United’s matches against Brentford and Brighton were postponed due to the number of positive Covid-19 tests within the camp, leading to a 16-day break before Monday’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle.
Rangnick echoed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s concern over signing unvaccinated players in the build-up to that match, and underlined his belief that people should be jabbed in his programme notes on Thursday ahead of the home clash with Burnley.
“These are very strange times in which we live, but the most important thing everybody can do is be sensible and follow medical advice to be vaccinated,” he said.
Full report here:
Man United vs Burnley latest news
We’re a few minutes away from team news, which could be interesting. This is Burnley’s first game since 12 December due to Covid-related postponements, so those who have remained training and healthy should be fully fit and firing. Will that translate into an energetic showing, or will a lack of rhythm be more telling?
United were very sluggish in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle three days ago, lucky to escape with a point in a game they were outplayed and outfought in. Burnley are level on points with the Magpies.
Man United vs Burnley odds
What are we likely to see this evening at Old Trafford, the final Premier League game of 2021?
The latest odds on the result:
Man United 4/11
Draw 4/1
Burnley 8/1.
And for first goalscorer:
Ronaldo 56/19
Cavani 4/1
Greenwood 31/5
Rashford 36/5
Sancho 17/2
Fernandes 9/1
Wood 11/1
Cornet 13/1
No goalscorer 14/1
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