Manchester United had to dig deep to pull off a last-minute winner courtesy of Bruno Fernandes to see off the challenge from Burnley 3-2 at Old Trafford on Saturday.
This was United’s first Premier League win of the season, and it should have been a foregone conclusion given the sheer number of openings created by the home side in the first 45 minutes.
But they went into the break with only a one-goal lead, and that is always dangerous in the English top-flight, and they were soon made to pay after the restart.
It was something of a sucker punch as it came out of nowhere. Bruun Larsen had acres of space out on United’s left to cross, and Lyle Foster made the most of the defensive lapse to score past Altay Bayindir in goal.
Sloppy goal Diogo Dalot was nowhere to be seen, while Luke Shaw let his man get ahead of him. Former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill lambasted them for losing their heads at that moment to allow the Clarets back into the game.
“Its a really sloppy goal for to concede from a Manchester United point of view. Once Dalot and Shaw are occupying the centre-back positions, they have to open up their body position.
“From a defensive point of view, you have to scan, you cant mark the space, its really sloppy,” he told Premier League Productions.
The Portugal international was dreadful up till that goal, but he did get his act together after that. He has found chances hard to come by with Ruben Amorim preferring Patrick Dorgu and Amad ahead of him.
Lots to improve Saturday was his first start in the Premier League, with the ex-Porto ace starting at left wingback with Amad out on the right.
As for Luke Shaw, he has started the new season quite well, and until Lisandro Martinez recovers from injury, the England international is likely to occupy the left centre-back position as long as he can stay fit.
Thankfully, despite their error, United fought back gallantly, and Bryan Mbeumo provided an instant response. Burnley did equalise soon after but the home side never gave up and ultimately, the skipper won the game with a last-minute penalty.
Hopefully, United can carry this momentum forward with huge games against Manchester City and Chelsea coming up after the international break.
Feature image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
