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Martin Rickett
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Man Utd v Burnley, Premier League

Could Mourinho follow up on the midweek win over Man City with another victory at home?

So, who thought Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Old Trafford marked the end of the line for Juan Mata at Man Utd?

Well the Spaniard’s just been handed the armband for today’s Premier League clash with Burnley:

Antonio Valencia, meanwhile, has fractured his arm and will have surgery today.

Here’s your Burnley team then:

Burnley: Heaton, Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward, Arfield, Hendrick, Marney, Gudmundsson, Gray, Vokes.

Subs: Flanagan, Barnes, Kightly, Bamford, Robinson, Boyd, Tarkowski.

Mark Clattenburg is the man in the middle.

Jose bemoans the fact the injuries are stacking up for United in his pre-game with with Sky Sports.

Michael Carrick is not picked, meanwhile, ‘because he’s very important for us’ and he’s keeping an eye on the next game – that’s Fenerbache in the Europa League. Bit of a baffler.

Let’s have those predictions then! We’ll send out a few The42 goodies for someone who gets it spot on.

And we’re up and running at Old Trafford.

Zlatan has his first shot on target after 30 seconds or so.

Lingard is fouled but feeds the ball to the big Swede. The United striker shows lovely feet in front of two Burnley defenders and gets a shot off which is saved.

United have started very brightly.

Juan Mata — skipper today remember! — was on the end of a really nice move down the left that saw Rashford and Zlatan combine before the ball was pulled back for the Spaniard. Mata’s shot was saved by Heaton though.

Burnley have a throw in and a foothold in the game at last thanks to some good closing down high up the pitch by our own Jeff Hendrick and some Rojo panic.

United have sat back a bit after a good start to this game. Former Old Trafford player Michael Keane caused some concern just now as a big free kick was aimed at him but it was hacked clear.

Zlatan draws a great save from Heaton after Mata played him through. He’s now gone 500 minutes without a Premier League goal but the striker is knocking on the door this afternoon.

Vokes lashes one from about 25 yards or so, but fizzes wide.

Another great save from Heaton!

Mata and Ibra again link up well. Mata fires off a shot which is put behind and the corner comes to nothing.

Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero has City two goals up at West Brom. Which is good news for his manager Pep Guardiola and his fantasy football managers like me.

Yellow card for Ander Herrera – the first of the afternoon.

The Basque midfielder arrived in late on Marney.

Mark Clattenburg played a good advantage, Burnley won a corner and Michael Keane again heads wide.

Mata’s at the centre of everything productive for the home side, it has to be said.

One wonders if the best player in the Bundesliga would add even more to United’s creative powers if he was sprung form the bench in place of Lingard.

Two more big saves from Heaton!

First Pogba backheels into the path of Zlatan and he fires goalwards but is again thwarted.

Then moments later, Lingard heads well but Heaton gets a strong hand on it and puts it behind.

Manchester United v Burnley - Premier League - Old Trafford Martin Rickett Martin Rickett

Two minutes injury time.

Big shout.

Jose Mourinho us going nuts on the sideline because he thinks, presumably, United should have had a penalty.

Darmian skipped into the box past the recently introduced Jon Flanagan and went down when he felt a –slight? — touch. Clattenburg was having none of it though.

Half-time! Man Utd 0 Burnley 0

Dangerous ball again from Rashford but Burnley’s KEane hoofs it clear again. He’s been good.

Andre Gray galloped free from the halfway line there but Shaw slid in for an excellent and important tackle just outside the box. This game has opened up a bit in the second half.

Arfield just volleyed Burnley’s best change high over the bar.

Jose’s been sent to the stands it seems and he doesn’t look happy about it.

Zlatan is again frustrated. The ball breaks to him a few wards out — though the angle is tight — and his effort is blocked down.

Moments later, Mata too arrives into the box but fails to break the deadlock.

An hour gone and we’re still somehow scoreless.

Herrera gangs the ball up for Zlatan on the back post and he typically enough volleys well but Heaton saves again. Burnley had five more men on the line too by the time be connected.

The visitors can’t hang on much longer can they?

‘That’s his takeaway order for tonight, I think,’ says Gary Neville.

Jose’s passing notes to the bench through an intermediary. He needs to get on Whatsapp or something,

MAta hits the post! This is getting ridiculous.

The former United player Heaton was beaten for once but again the ball stays out.

Flanagan’s booked in the meantime.

Red card! Ander Herrera is off!

It’s a second yellow for the Spain international.

Herrera has piled the pressure on his side with what’s a silly mistake to fly in but he did slip ultimately. And he’s been great today.

Wayne Rooney’s is warming up and it looks like Fellaini’s on the way too.

In the meantime, the ref has again drawn the scorn of the home side; Darmian goes down in the box but it’s waved away.

Lingard and Mata make way for Rooney and Fellaini.

10 minutes left. Can Burnley make it a first win at Old Trafford since 1961?

One of those back-of-an-envelope instructions from the directors box said Memphis for Rashford. And that what’s happening now.

Weird substitution, no?

Pogba’s booked for a clumsy challenge. Five minutes or so to go.

Daley Bind first times a shot goalwards from outside the box but a deflection carries it over the bar.

Luke Shaw — of all people — just curled one around the wrong side of the post. Unlucky.

5 minutes of added time.

Outrageous cross from Pogba to the back post but Ibra stabs it wide. He’s had a bad day.

Massive chance! The ball was played to the edge of the box and Wayne Rooney fired over.

Full-time: Man Utd 0 Burnley 0

So after all their huffing an puffing, Man Utd cannot break the deadlock.

But there’s plenty to digest.

Jose Mourinho ended the game in the stands, Herrera in an early bath while Ibra again went a game without a goal.

From an Irish point of view, Jeff Hendrick played his part in securing a point at the Theatre of Dreams but Stephen Ward may be a doubt for Martin O’Neill’s squad — to be announced on Wednesday — after he picked up an injury.

Injury worry for Ireland as O’Shea hobbles off for Sunderland

Carragher: Coutinho is good enough for any team

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