- Anthony Martial broke the deadlock for Manchester United on the 54th minute following superb link-up play with Ronelu Lukaku.
- United managed to hang-on to the three points despite piling pressure from Burnley in the final few minutes at Turf Moor.
- Jose Mourinho’s side cut the lead to just nine points behind leaders Man City with Guardiola’s side set to play Newcastle this evening.
- READ ALSO: Video: Manchester United fans ecstatic with this superb link-up play from Martial and Lukaku for opener
Anthony Martial sealed the three points for Manchester United in a close tie against Burnley.
United were unable to break the deadlock in the first-half despite an Ashley Young effort coming close.
Burnley looked resilient and almost impossible to breakdown until the 54th minute. Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial combined superbly to provide what would go on to be the winner.
Lukaku drove down the right channel before providing a superb ball for Martial who slotted home from just inside the Burnley box with a typically composed finish.
Burnley piled on the pressure in the final ten minutes and produced a nervous finish for Jose Mourinho but superb defending from the likes of Phil Jones allowed the Red Devils to leave Turf Moor with all the points.
Man of the match
Romelu Lukaku and Phil Jones both produced superb individual performances to silence doubters but it was Anthony Martial who proved the difference for United.
The Frenchman has now scored in his last three Premier League matches and appears to be unfazed by reports that he’ll soon be competing with Alexis Sanchez for his place in the United team.
A typically ice-cool finish from Martial was the icing on the cake after superb link-up play with Lukaku.
Flop of the match
It’s hard to discredit the Burnley side who battled throughout the 90 minutes and came close to sealing a point on various occasions in the final few minutes. However, Jeff Hendrick certainly needs to improve if he wants to establish himself as a vital part of the Burnley attack. Burnley looked far more threatening after Hendrick was pulled from the action on the 81st minute.
Stat of the match
Has Lukaku really been underperforming for United this season?
?? Romelu Lukaku now has 28 assists in the Premier League since 2013/14; no Premier League striker has more.
Underrated?? pic.twitter.com/UwaQ1cEAUg
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) January 20, 2018
Player ratings
Burnley: Pope 5, Bardsley 5, Tarkowski 5, Mee 6, Taylor 5, Cork 6, Defour 6, Gudmundsson 6, Hendrick 4, Arfield 5, Barnes 5.
Subs: Nkoudou 6, Wells n/a, Vokes 6.
Manchester United: De Gea 7, Valencia 6, Smalling 6, Jones 8, Young 6, Matic 6, Pogba 8, Mata 5, Lingard 5, Martial 8, Lukaku 8.
Subs: Fellaini 5, Herrera n/a, Rashford 5.
Reaction
Many offered plaudits for Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku following their link-up play for United’s winner.
Martial scores. Lukaku does superbly there. Great forward play. #BURMUN #MUFC
— Kris Voakes (@krisvoakes) January 20, 2018
WHAT A FINISH MARTIAL. Lukaku with a solid assist!
— Tobi (@Tobjizzle) January 20, 2018
Martial has scored or assisted 13 goals in the Premier League this season. Only Lukaku has been directly involved in more (15) for Man Utd. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/JfCXTJXCI2
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 20, 2018
Lukaku with the athletic pass and Martial with the urban finish! #MandemUnited doing the Lord’s work!
— Musa Okwonga (@Okwonga) January 20, 2018
Brilliant finish by Martial and an assist – resisting Bardsley, turning and hitting a 30 yard through pass while falling – that shows the growing quality of Lukaku’s all-round play.
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) January 20, 2018