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2 days ago
5
Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher failed to produce what the interim manager, fans and executives craved: a cathartic victory to move the club on quickly from the recent turbulence.
United’s biggest plus was Benjamin Sesko, whose two goals doubled his season tally, plus the support being in good cheer despite the inability to dispatch the division’s second-bottom side.
When Ayden Heaven turned into his goal, Burnley were headed for a first win since 26 October. But Sesko stepped up to show whoever replaces Fletcher as the temporary man, until the season end, he may be about to catch fire – before Jaidon Anthony netted a memorable Burnley equaliser.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the favourite and the sight, too, of Shea Lacey hitting the bar should cheer him or whoever next takes the caretaker role, as will Kobbie Mainoo, another United starlet, also entering as a late replacement.
After the dour Ruben Amorim era the joke was whether Fletcher would belie a 25-year association with United by sending out the same dour three-man defence. He did not, of course – his configuration a 4-2-3-1 that had the returning Bruno Fernandes as the sole No 10 behind Sesko.
The captain was the sole change – for Leny Yoro – from Amorim’s last game, Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Leeds, and after neat footwork in the buildup Fernandes saw Casemiro balloon the first effort of Fletcher’s tenure over.
The Scot was assisted by his former United teammate Jonny Evans, who was regaled by the travelling support with his song that tells of the Northern Irishman’s “hate” for “scousers”. Thirteen minutes in and they were hardly keen at all on their team as Burnley scored via Heaven’s own goal.
Bashir Humphreys ran into yards of space down the left and pinged the ball in, the centre-back stuck a leg out, and it ricocheted over Senne Lammens into the goalkeeper’s far corner.
Instantly, the camera panned left to a standing, expressionless Fletcher, then to Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, the chief executive and director of football who sacked Amorim on Monday.
This was the first time Scott Parker’s men led since a 3-2 loss at West Ham on 8 November. Why? Because United lacked imagination and execution. Rare forays ended with Casemiro chipping into the Clarets’ area to no one, or Fernandes berating the stationary Sesko to dart in behind.
Then, at last, craft from United. Fernandes lifted a free-kick into the area, Casemiro headed across goal, and Matheus Cunha drew a Martin Dubravka save that went for a corner. From Luke Shaw’s delivery Lisandro Martínez bundled home but the centre-back was adjudged to have fouled Kyle Walker so Stuart Attwell chalked it off, the video assistant referee backing the referee.
United were jittery – understandably given the past few days – and Burnley scented blood. Marcus Edwards ran clean through midfield and found Lucas Pires along the left and his shot evaded Lammens, barely missing the left corner.
At this juncture, zero new manager bounce. Instead Fletcher, garbed in a dark blue winter coat, oversaw a passive side who needed to awaken, urgency and ideas missing. When Fernandes slipped Patrick Dorgu in the wide left forward lobbed Dubravka before Maxime Estève cleared off the line – far better from United ahead of them wandering off for the interval.
Fletcher followed David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær (interim and permanent), Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Amorim as the 13th appointment to the United hot seat since Sir Alex Ferguson walked away.
Yet he now had only 45 minutes to turn the game around.
At the start of this a progressive sequence began by Martínez that moved United from defence to attack and ended in a Dorgu attempt: encouraging for the visitors.
The next one was lethal, as it featured Heaven and Casemiro and had Fernandes slipping in Sesko: the 22-year-old has struggled since joining in the summer but a right-foot blast past Dubravka was emphatic.
This had Fletcher joyous and urging his unit for more. There was. At a Hannibal Mejbri corner United broke, the ball went left, and Sesko was again fed. This time a corner was claimed, which came to nothing, but soon Fernandes was hitting a post, his team discovering its rhythm.
Suddenly, too, a surfeit of chances. Heaven, left free at a Fernandes’ corner, headed wide. Now, Sesko struck again, following Dorgu’s run and cross from the left with a predatory, sweetly-timed low volley.
Sesko’s grin dazzled as much as Fletcher’s, United’s faithful gleeful behind the goal where the Slovenian scored. Yet the emotion soon became Burnley’s when the substitute Jaidon Anthony turned away from Shaw and Martínez and beat Lammens with an 18-yard peach that flew in high.
At pointblank range Sesko fluffed a golden chance to snatch the winner and a hat-trick, before Lacey went close, the end result feeling fair on each team.
