Lingard saves Man Utd from losing to Burnley

The Man Utd youngster scored twice after coming on in the second half to help his side to a 2-2 draw on Boxing Day.

This was Man Utd's second consecutive draw after they shared points with Leicester last round. However, in contrast to the previous match, the "Red Devils" were 0-2 down at half-time and had to rely on two goals from substitute Jesse Lingard to earn a point - a result that could see them continue to be behind Man Utd on the scoreboard.

Lingard helped his team retain a point on a disappointing day. Photo: Empics.

Mourinho surprised everyone by starting Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic together. He may have wanted to take advantage of their aerial prowess, with Ashley Young, a good crosser, playing on the right wing in place of Antonio Valencia.

But before Man Utd could execute their plan, they were quickly dealt a blow. From a free kick on the left wing by Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Ashley Barnes quickly shot past David De Gea. Lukaku continued to be the culprit when he came back to support the defense. The Belgian striker's poor header opened the chaos, leading to the visitors' opening goal.

Having lost early, Man Utd pressed forward to find an equalizer but their aerial attacks did not seem to be as dangerous as expected. Meanwhile, Burnley continued to show their discomfort with an attack from the right flank, ending with Scott Arfield's volley hitting the crossbar.

Defour's free kick goal. Photo: Reuters.

When Man Utd were forced to attack, they once again encountered the efforts of the opposing goalkeeper. Nick Pope continuously dominated the space, limiting the ability of the Lukaku and Ibrahimovic duo to press.

While struggling to find an equalizer, Man Utd unexpectedly conceded a second goal from a brilliant free kick by Steven Defour. Originating from Young's foul on Arfield, the Belgian midfielder kicked with his right foot, sending the ball into the top corner from 22m. De Gea got a hand to the ball but could not block it.

Immediately after this move, Man Utd had a chance to score but although Marcus Rashford's shot went past goalkeeper Pope, it was still blocked by Ben Mee right on the goal line. Ibrahimovic and Pogba also had chances to finish in the final minutes of the first half but were blocked by the opposing defender or narrowly missed the goal.

Lingard's backheel goal. Photo: PA.

Mourinho brought on Lingard and Mkhitaryan at the start of the second half, taking Ibrahimovic off to revert to a 3-4-3. But even with the speedy players on the pitch, Man Utd's attacks were still largely limited to crosses. Lingard had a close-range shot just minutes after coming on, but he was unlucky as the ball hit Pope in the face and bounced off the crossbar.

But the young Man Utd midfielder only had to wait a few more minutes for his goal. Lingard met Young’s cross and produced a beautiful backheel to break the deadlock. Pope was blindsided by the situation and Lingard’s finish was also quite dangerous.

However, the loss did not faze Burnley. Their fourth-best defense in the Premier League remained organized and very good at defending high balls. From the moment of the goal until the last official minute of the match, the most dangerous move Man Utd created was Pogba's free kick that went over the bar.

Lingard became the hero in the first minute of injury time when his volley found the back of the Burnley net. The Man Utd midfielder then had a fine finish as he punished a lacklustre clearance from the visitors' defenders, leaving Pope standing by.

The 2-2 draw remained unchanged after four minutes of injury time. Man Utd have 43 points after this match, still in second place but just one point ahead of Chelsea. They have narrowed the gap with Man City to 12 points but have played a game more. Burnley are stuck in seventh place with 33 points.

According to VNE