On-fire Forlan strikes again

Burnley 0

Manager Alex Ferguson was without a number of key players but his team still proved too strong for the First Division side.

Forlan made the breakthrough when he scored his sixth goal of the season in the 35th minute after a superb ball from John O’Shea.

Ferguson made six changes from the side which defeated Liverpool on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Roy Carroll was drafted in between the posts as Fabien Barthez was rested with David May recalled to the defence.

Luke Chadwick, Michael Stewart and Danny Pugh were all included in a very inexperienced midfield alongside the returning Phil Neville.

United’s strength seemed to lie in attack with 16-goal Ruud van Nistelrooy paired with Diego Forlan, who scored a brace at Anfield.

Burnley boss Stan Ternent made four changes to the side that lost at Watford. Steve Davis, Paul Cook, Gareth Taylor and Lee Briscoe replaced Tony Grant, Ian Moore, Mark McGregor and Alan Moore.

Such was the interest in the match, the kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes because of crowd congestion.

Burnley made a bright start and almost took the lead in the second minute when Robbie Blake cut the ball back from the byline. Gareth Taylor strode forward and got in a shot that went narrowly wide.

Stewart then tried to pick out van Nistelrooy with a ball over the top but it was safely gathered by Marlon Beresford.

United found themselves on the back foot after nine minutes when Blake and Taylor again combined. Taylor was marginally off target.

Taylor then found space to power in a header from Steve Davis’ cross but Carroll was not troubled.

United hit back and Beresford did well to parry a close range shot from van Nistelrooy after Chadwick had supplied the cross.

United stepped up the pace and Stewart stung Beresford’s fingers with a 25-yard drive in the 22nd minute.

A minute later the industrious Forlan whipped in a half volley that went narrowly wide.

Forlan made the breakthrough for United in the 35th minute with a clinical finish. John O’Shea split the Burnley defence with a marvellous through ball and the Uruguayan weighed up his shot before steering it beyond Beresford. Burnley battled back and Irish goalkeeper Carroll showed good reflexes in the 42nd minute to tip over a Taylor header.

O’Shea should have added a second for United in injury time but headed wide from close range.

United boss Ferguson made a switch at half-time, replacing van Nistelrooy with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Burnley created the first chance of the second period when Blake got away from Wes Brown and fired in a snap-shot that was taken by Carroll.

Play switched down the other end and Chadwick picked out Forlan, who touched the ball on to Stewart but his tame shot was taken by Beresford.

Burnley stepped it up again and Davis got away from his marker to get in a header from Briscoe’s cross that was cleanly taken by Carroll.

That only spurred United into action and Beresford reacted superbly to turn away Pugh’s six-yard effort.

Pugh squandered another glorious chance in the 58th minute when he side-footed a shot wide after being put clear by Solskjaer.

Solskjaer then showed him how it should be done in the 65th minute when he smashed a first-time shot high into the roof of the net after a surging run and cross by Chadwick.

United were looking to build on their lead and came close.

Chadwick cut in from the right in the 78th minute but his finish was poor. Then Phil Neville drove the ball just wide after a neat lay-off by sub Paul Scholes.

BURNLEY: Beresford, West, Davis, Gnohere, Branch, Weller, Cook, Briscoe, Little, Blake, Taylor.

MAN UTD: Carroll, Phil Neville, May, Brown, Silvestre, Chadwick, Stewart, O’Shea, Pugh, Forlan, van Nistelrooy.