Jose Mourinho was sent to the stands and Ander Herrera saw red as Manchester United were held to a goalless draw by a Tom Heaton-inspired Burnley at Old Trafford.
The draw piles pressure on Mourinho whose team is now without a Premier League win in four matches and is eight points off the top spot.
United had 37 shots on goal, but found Heaton in impenetrable form as he made 11 saves.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the chief profligate for United, missing at least three gilt-edged chances from 12 shots at goal, meaning he has now gone six league games without scoring for the first time since December 2007 with Inter Milan.
United’s frustration boiled over as Mourinho was sent to the stand at half time for his angry reaction to United not being awarded a penalty for a tackle on Matteo Darmian, while referee Mark Clattenberg also dismissed Herrera midway through the second half for two bookings.
Ibrahimovic set the tone early on with a forceful run, but his strike from 22 yards was gathered by Heaton. That effort was one of seven shots on target during a one-sided half where United’s finishing let them down..
The best of those chances came on 19 minutes when Marcus Rashford slipped Ibrahimovic in behind but his close range effort was blocked away by Heaton.
The former United goalkeeper later turned a Juan Mata effort wide on 24 minutes before making an even better stop three minutes before the break. Lingard’s header from a Herrera cross was heading for the top corner until Heaton clawed out the effort with a strong right hand.
The United boss appeared from the tunnel at half time, but took his seat in the crowd next to the dugout as it emerged that Clattenburg had sent him to the stands at the break. He moved to the Directors’ Box midway through the half and was seen passing written messages to one of his coaching staff.
Manchester United’s assistant manager Rui Faria relfects on the draw between Man Utd and Burnley.
The one-way traffic continued towards Heaton’s goal and he showed quick reactions to deny Mata from 15 yards on 54 minutes.
Ibrahimovic flew through the air on 60 minutes to connect with a cross from the right but his scissor-kick was bravely blocked away by a starfish-like Heaton, who said after the game the power of the strike nearly broke his arm.
Even when Heaton was beaten, the woodwork came to Burnley’s rescue. Mata struck the outside of the post on 65 minutes before Ibrahimovic looped a header towards goal a minute later, but the ball came bouncing back off the crossbar.
Herrera, who had already been booked for a late tackle on Dean Marney in the first half, slipped on the turf and his motion clattered into Matthew Lowton. Clattenburg was quick on the scene to give the Spaniard his marching orders.
The man advantage usually swings a momentum of a game but the 10-men of United still probed and pressed for the opening goal.
Paul Pogba’s cross from the left was perfect and found the 35-year-old unmarked, from no more than three yards. With the goal gaping, he somehow managed to spoon the ball wide
With that miss, Heaton got the clean sheet his performance merited but you could tell from the cheeky smiles from the Burnley players at full time that this was a point courtesy more of luck than judgement.
For United, it was a case of everything but the goals. – Sky Sports.
