Manchester United were looking to bounce back from the disappointment against Newcastle last time (1-1) when they ended the Premier League year 2021 by hosting Burnley at Old Trafford. Victor Nilsson Lindelöf was missing after a positive covid test, but Anthony Elanga was on the bench.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a great opportunity to give United the lead after just five minutes when the Portuguese was completely free, but the finish went over the bar.
Instead, it was Scott McTominay who made the home crowd cheer when he pushed there 1-0 from the edge of the penalty area a few minutes later. On a failed first touchdown from Ronaldo, which turned into a perfect performance, McTominay scored his first goal of the season in his 20th match.
With less than half an hour played, United doubled their lead to 2-0 when Jadon Sancho turned in from the left and found the net after a control from Burnley defender Ben Mee. The goal was later booked as an own goal.
Before the break, Ronaldo also managed to find the net when he stayed ahead on a McTominay return and pushed 3-0 into an open cage with his eighth league goal of the season. It was the first time since February against Southampton (9-0 victory) that Manchester United scored three goals in the first half of a Premier League match.
Shortly afterwards, Burnley managed to find a reduction when Aaron Lennon advanced into the penalty area and placed in 3-1, which was the result at the break. After an uneventful second half, the match also ended with a 3-1 victory for United, which thus steps up as a new sixth in the Premier League. Burnley remain in 18th place and are below the relegation line.
Startelvor:
Manchester United: De Gea – Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw – McTominay, Matic – Greenwood, Sancho – Ronaldo, Cavani.
Burnley: Hennessey – Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor – McNeil, Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson – Lennon – Wood.
3 – Manchester United have scored three goals in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time since February against Southampton. Intent.
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2021
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