Not Maguire: Who Was At Fault For Burnley’s Goal vs Manchester United

Manchester United were punished for not putting the game to bed against Burnley, who fought back in the second half to earn a crucial point.

The Red Devils, like they did against Middlesbrough, created tons of chances but their poor finishing and two debatable VAR decisions meant they were only able to take a goal lead, courtesy of Paul Pogba, into the half-time break.

In the second-half, United lost the control they possessed earlier in the match, and Burnley pounced on a moment of indecision from the visitors to equalise through Jay Rodriguez.

At first glance, Harry Maguire appeared as the main culprit for overcommitting and then getting easily beaten by Wout Weghorst, who set up Rodriguez with a perfectly weighted pass.

However, the replay shows, the United captain was forced to follow Weghorst after Scott McTominay’s lack of positional awareness left acres of space between United’s backline and midfield.

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1491157983102914560

 

Letting the Burnley striker to drop in deep unchallenged would’ve given Weghorst time to hold the ball and bring in his teammates into the game.

Unfortunately, Maguire’s decision to cover for McTominay’s mistake led to a mix up, allowing Weghorst to turn and combine with Rodriguez to draw level.

Time and again United defenders have found themselves in such situations due to a lack of cover from the players in front of them, and the issue will continue to haunt Ralf Rangnick’s men at least until the next transfer window.