Burnley's Amdouni on the mark late on to deny Antony and Manchester United
ZEKI ON THE SPOT: Burnley's Zeki Amdouni celebrates scoring their side's equaliser. Pic: Ian Hodgson, PA Wire.
ANTONY scored his first goal in over 12 months only for another defensive lapse to cost Manchester United two more points in a disappointing Premier League campaign.
A late VAR check showed that keeper Andre Onana had punched Burnley substitute Zeki Amdouni in the face as he tried to deal with a frantic late attack.
Referee John Brooks checked on the pitch side monitor before awarding the penalty which Amdouni took himself, comfortably beating Onana in the 87th minute.
It had appeared that Antony, without a league goal since April 16 last year against Nottingham Forest, would be an unlikely match-winner at the end of a week in which he had been booed by his own supporters after being replaced against Sheffield United.
He pounced on a 79th minute mistake by Sander Berge, intercepting his pass and advancing before converting with an excellent left-foot finish.
United wasted a string of first half chances but, ultimately, had goalkeeper Onana to thank for being able to go in at the interval all squad, and goalless, instead of trailing to Vincent Kompany’s relegation battlers.
The United keeper made two superb stops, in particular, both from Lyle Foster, to avoid his side falling behind, as they had twice in the midweek win over Burnley’s fellow strugglers Sheffield United.
On 34 minutes, Onana twisted in mid-air to keep out Foster’s goal bound header after he had done well to connect with a volley from Josh Cullen.
And four minutes later, Berge played the Burnley striker clean through but Onana judged his angles superbly and denied Foster once more.
The keeper had already done well to tip over a long-range effort from Wilson Odobert while the same Burnley man set up Foster for a chance which he mishit badly from 16 yards.
But if United had found themselves trailing at the interval, they would only have had themselves to blame as, in a familiar pattern, they wasted so many openings to take the lead themselves.
Bruno Fernandes came closest to doing so, after Rasmus Hojlund’s advance had been blocked on 19 minutes, when he hit a fierce shot against the Burnley post.
And late in the first half, Alejandro Garnacho struck the side-netting, from a tight angle, after good approach play by Christian Eriksen. But, in between, there were too many hopeful, aimless shots as United looked bereft of ideas in the final third all too often.
The second half quickly picked up where the first had left off, with Antony hitting a couple of half-chances straight at Ari Muric in the Burnley goal and Alejandro Garnacho’s run ending with a shot that needed to curl to sneak it at the far post but failed to do so.
United’s problems seemed to be summed up just after the hour when Fernandes cleverly spotted the chance of a quick free-kick, which played Eriksen clear, only for the veteran to hit a pass straight against defender Vitinho.
Garnacho had a decent sight of goal on 68 minutes, set up by substitute Amad Diallo, but found Muric alert, with the Burnley keeper comfortably pushing his effort over the bar.
Minutes earlier, ten Hag had juggled his squad, bringing on Diallo and Scott McTominay; the latter for youngster Kobbie Mainoo, a decision that was greeted by boos from home fans who disagreed with their manager.
Onana 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Casemiro 5, Maguire 8, Dalot 6; Mainoo 7 (McTominay 65, 6; Mount 90), Eriksen 5 (Amrabat 80); Antony 8, Fernandes 7, Garnacho 6; Hojlund 5 (Diallo 65, 5). Bayindir, Forson, Amass, Jackson, Wheatley.
Muric 7; Assignon 6, O’Shea 5, Esteve 6, Vitinho 7; Odobert 7, Berge 5, Cullen 6, Bruun Larsen 6 (Gudmundsson 72, 6); Foster 6, Fofana 5 (Amdouni 56, 6). Trafford, Taylor, Brownhill, Rodriguez, Manuel, Ekdal, Tresor.
J Brooks 6
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