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Man Utd Held 2-2 at Burnley in Fletcher's Debut, Villa-Palace Stalemate

Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at Burnley in Darren Fletcher's first game as interim coach, with Benjamin Sesko's second-half double cancelled out by Jaidon Anthony. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace played out a cagey 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, with Ollie Watkins hitting the post late on. Everton drew 1-1 with Wolves in a controversial match that saw the Toffees finish with nine men after Michael Keane and Jack Grealish were sent off. The results leave United sixth, Villa third, and Burnley stuck in the relegation zone.

Key Points: Man Utd 2-2 Burnley, Villa 0-0 Palace | Premier League Results

  • Sesko scores double for Man Utd
  • Anthony's equaliser earns Burnley point
  • Villa and Palace in goalless draw
  • Everton finish with nine men in Wolves draw
  • Keane scores then sees red for Everton
2 min read

Burnley held Man Utd 2-2, Villa play out goalless draw with Palace

Benjamin Sesko's brace not enough as Man Utd draw at Burnley. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace play out goalless stalemate in Premier League action.

"That joy was short-lived, however, as Jaidon Anthony picked out the top-left corner after 66 minutes. - Match Report"

London, Jan 8

Benjamin Sesko's second-half double was only enough for a 2-2 draw at struggling Burnley in Darren Fletcher's first game as Manchester United's interim head coach.

Fletcher stepped in after Ruben Amorim was dismissed on Monday, and the former Man Utd midfielder may have been fearing the worst when Ayden Heaven's early own goal handed Burnley the lead at Turf Moor.

But after United defender Lisandro Martinez saw what would have been a first-half equaliser ruled out, Sesko produced two fine finishes within 10 minutes of each other to put United in front.

That joy was short-lived, however, as Jaidon Anthony picked out the top-left corner after 66 minutes, with the Red Devils missing another chance to make ground on fourth-placed Liverpool before Arne Slot's side face Arsenal on Thursday.

The draw leaves Man Utd sixth in the table, two points off Liverpool, while Burnley - whose winless run extended to 12 matches - remain 19th and eight points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

On the other hand, Aston Villa played out a goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

A cagey first half saw Emi Martínez make a fine save from Brennan Johnson and Ollie Watkins denied by Dean Henderson at the other end.

The second half provided more openings as both sides pushed for three points, with Villa coming closest to finding a winner when Watkins headed Matty Cash's cross onto a post in the 84th minute.

A point in South London keeps Unai Emery's side third in the top flight as attention turns to the FA Cup and a trip to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

Elsewhere, Everton were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves in a contest where the Blues controversially ended with nine men at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Michael Keane netted the opener on 17 minutes, expertly diverting home from close-range after the visitors failed to clear a free-kick. Mateus Mane levelled proceedings with a confident finish midway through the second half.

Everton were reduced to 10 men with eight minutes remaining when, after a lengthy VAR review, Keane was adjudged to have committed "an act of violent conduct" after touching the hair of Tolu Arokodare as the pair competed in an aerial duel.

Those frustrations were compounded when Jack Grealish was dismissed minutes later for a second bookable offence.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
As an Indian football fan, it's frustrating to see such inconsistency from a big club. But credit to Burnley for fighting back. The Premier League is so unpredictable, that's why we love it! Villa dropping points too... the top 4 race is wide open.
A
Aman W
That red card for Keane is absolutely ridiculous! Touching someone's hair is "violent conduct"? VAR is killing the spirit of the game. Poor decision that cost Everton the match. The rules need some common sense.
P
Priya S
Sesko's goals were class! Finally some positive news for United fans. But we need to learn to see out games. The midfield was non-existent after we went ahead. On the bright side, at least we didn't lose. #GGMU
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David E
Watching from Mumbai. The Villa-Palace match was a proper snoozefest. So much talent on the pitch but no end product. Watkins hitting the post was the only real moment of quality. Both teams seemed happy with a point.
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Nikhil C
Respectfully, the article focuses too much on the big clubs. Burnley showed great heart to come back. They are fighting for survival and that point could be crucial. Sometimes the underdog story is more interesting than United's drama.

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