Manchester United were bailed out by a late penalty to beat Burnley 3-2 this afternoon at Old Trafford in a result which will give Ruben Amorim some much-needed breathing room, despite the shakiness of the performance.
Here is The Peoples Person’s player ratings for the match with one of the club’s new signings showing exactly why the club made securing his signature a priority this summer.
(A score of 6 is around average)
Starting XI
Altay Bayindir (5) – Could do nothing for Burnley’s first goal but his poor save allowed the second. Had performed well prior to that point with effective distribution. INEOS must secure a new goalkeeper before Monday’s deadline – neither Bayindir nor Onana are good enough to start.
Leny Yoro (6) – Could have done better for Burnley’s opening goal as he lost his man, but played well beyond that. Easy to forget he is only 19 and still developing as a defender.
Matthijs de Ligt (6) – Another reasonable performance at the heart of United’s defence, which he has firmly wrestled away from Harry Maguire. Was not at fault for either goal but questions remain over his distribution from defence – an important attribute in Amorim’s system.
Luke Shaw (5) – A comfortable first half but his weak header in the box enabled Burnley’s second goal. Remains a good option in a back three but Lisandro Martinez’s return may offer more help in possession.
Amad (8) – A brilliant first half followed by a quieter second. Linked very well with Mbeumo with the right-hand side the team’s most potent attacking outlet. Could have scored from a superb volley and should have scored during an electric counter-attack in the first half, instead blazing it over from ten yards out. A much better showing than last week at wing-back.
Won the penalty which won the game.
Casemiro (5) – Had little to do in the first half defensively and distributed the ball forward well. Faded in the second half and was replaced by Sesko shortly after Burnley made it 2-2. He no longer has the legs for the role Amorim is asking him to play, despite his abilities in possession.
Bruno Fernandes (8) – A much more mature performance from United’s captain compared to the horror show last weekend against Fulham. Used the ball well and was orchestrating the team in the first half from midfield.
Moved further forward in the second as United chased a winner, and was the big man for the big occasion to convert a penalty in the dying moments and secure his team all three points. Amends for the miss at Craven Cottage.
Diogo Dalot (6.5) – A surprise choice in place of Patrick Dorgu but performed reasonably well on his weaker side. Lackadaisical for Burnley’s opening goal to allow the cross to be delivered, but responded immediately by setting up Mbeumo to make it 2-1.
Bryan Mbeumo (9) – United’s best player and biggest attacking threat. Peppered Burnley’s goal in the first half and showed the reason why the club spent such a large amount to secure him from Brentford. Rewarded for his efforts with a goal in the second half.
Matheus Cunha (7) – Started very brightly, helping knit together attacks with his incisive ball-carrying, but was unfortunately withdrawn at the half-hour mark after suffering an injury. Hopefully it is not too serious with better opponents on the horizon for United.
Mason Mount (5) – Withdrawn at half-time in favour of Mainoo after a bright first forty-five minutes. The quietest of United’s attackers but that is not a criticism during a strong first half performance in the frontline. Won a penalty after a tussle with Kyle Walker but it was overturned after a VAR check and helped link play well.
United missed his energy out of possession in the second half.
Substitutes
Joshua Zirkzee (4) – Summoned to replace Cunha after 30 minutes. Displayed some nice link up play in the first half but largely anonymous in the second and it remains unclear where his best position is in this system. Had chances but wasted them.
Kobbie Mainoo (5) – Introduced at half-time to maintain United’s academy record in place of Mount. Neat and skilful in possession but did little to effectively drive the ball forward. He must learn how to impose himself on games, rather than waiting for things to happen.
Benjamin Sesko (5) – Brought on for Casemiro at 2-2 with United pushing for goal. Had two big chances from crosses – his bread and butter as a 6’5 frontman – but was unable to convert. Offered more attacking threat than Zirkzee, despite being largely uninvolved out of possession.
The Red Devils are next in action after the two-week international break when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City on September 14.
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
