Ralf Rangnick's Ronaldo gamble backfires as United held by Burnley

RAIN DANCE: Cristiano Ronaldo looks on through the driving rain after coming on as a substitute in Manchester United’s draw against Burnley at Turf Moor. Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

Burnley 1 Man United 1

Ralf Rangnick gambled, like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick before him, by dropping Cristiano Ronaldo from his starting line-up but it was a decision that backfired in the Manchester United manager’s quest to deliver Champions League football.

The German had spoken, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, about the improvements made by his team in recent weeks, while also confirming on Monday that a fourth-placed finish this season would mark an acceptable level of success given what had come before him.

It was hardly ambitious stuff for a manager of Manchester United to pronounce and, after Paul Pogba handed his dominant team a deserved first half lead, a poor second half from Rangnick’s men underlined why the veteran coach is so cautious in the targets he sets.

Burnley, completely outclassed in the first period, came out for the second half looking an entirely different proposition and were level within two minutes thanks to Jay Rodriguez and his first league goal in 50 games.

The goal was carved out by their new striker Wout Weghorst who controlled the ball outside the United area, beating Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay easily and then slipping through a perfect pass for Rodriguez, who left the England international in his wake before slipping the ball over David de Gea.

It was just Burnley’s third league in their previous 731 minutes of football — and their second in that run against United, following December’s 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford.

It was also a goal that said a lot about United’s current fragility and, as Burnley set about improving on a home record that had seen them win just one league game at Turf Moor in the previous 377 days, Rangnick’s mood might have worsened.

Weghorst continued to prove a handful as he unleashed a superb volley that had de Gea scrambling to turn it around his post before the Dutch international lashed a shot into the side-netting, from a Dwight McNeil pass, as United looked unrecognisable from their first half performance.

But while Rangnick’s decision to leave Ronaldo out of his starting line-up, for just the third time in the league since the legend’s return to the club, looked a calculated gamble, it was one that initially looked like paying off.

The United interim had pointed out that he opted for Edinson Cavani because “we knew in the early stages it will require a lot of running, chasing balls, a lot of fighting for second balls”.

And after his side negotiated the opening 21 minutes with a Pogba goal, and two further disallowed efforts to their name, their performance indicated that the professorial German was possibly onto something.

The goal, after 18 minutes, was a particularly efficient piece of play even if it owed much to the poor defending of Burnley right-back Connor Roberts who was marked out as a constant target for United attacks down his flank.

Luke Shaw beat the Burnley defender far too comfortably and still had time to accurately pick out Pogba who was, inexplicably, unmarked and therefore had the time to bury the ball right-footed into the roof of the home goal.

United actually thought they had taken the lead seven minutes earlier when, after the award of a soft free-kick for a foul on Pogba, Bruno Fernandes lofted a superb delivery into the Burnley six-yard area.

Raphael Varane rose well to head an accurate finish past the diving Nick Pope although the VAR convinced referee Michael Dean to look at his monitor due to the suspicion that Maguire had returned from an offside position to head home - a decision with which the official agreed.

There was also a “goal” for the Reds on 21 minutes after Ben Mee turned a Marcus Rashford cross into his own net although Dean was quick to spot that Pogba had impeded Erik Pieters in the build-up.

It was threatening to turn into an impressive outing for Rangnick’s men, even allowing for the wretched quality of opposition who are looking increasingly doomed at the wrong end of the table.

And, on a night when the weather was so vile that even Burnley manager Sean Dyche buttoned up his rain coat, United were showing plenty of mental and physical strength.

It promised to get even better. A far-post cross by Shaw was met by Cavani after 33 minutes where he forced a fine reflex block out of Pope and, minutes later, good approach play from Jadon Sancho set up a shot for Rashford which Burnley’s England keeper again saved well.

But the second half was a different picture — alarmingly so for United — who found themselves on the back foot and led to Rangnick throwing on Ronaldo, for Cavani, with just over 20 minutes to play. There was plenty of possession thereafter, an a near-post Varave back heel which Pope saved superbly, but no much-needed winner for the visitors.

BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 8; Roberts 5, Tarkowski 7, Mee 7, Pieters 5; Cornet 6 (Lennon 68, 6), Westwood 7, Brownhill 7, McNeil 6; Rodriguez 8 (Barnes 88), Weghorst 9.

MAN UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6; Dalot 6, Varane 7, Maguire 5, Shaw 7; Pogba 7, McTominay 5 (Lingard 80); Rashford 6 (Elanga 84), Fernandes 6, Sancho 8; Cavani 5 (Ronaldo 67).

Referee: Mike Dean 6.