Finally, Manchester United are into the win column this season, beating Burnley 3-2 on a dramatic afternoon at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim knew victory was a non-negotiable, and his relief when Bruno Fernandes’ late stoppage-time penalty found the back of the net.
Fernandes’ goal takes him to 99 for United, on the verge of a century, and it was arguably one of the most important ones.
Manchester United needed to win against the Clarets no matter what after the low of Wednesday night. The scoreline makes it look like a closely fought battle, but on another day, United might have scored five or six.
Amorim now has two weeks to improve his team ahead of the Manchester derby, and he has Fernandes to thank for the positive result, which will be massive for the club’s momentum.
But the captain wasn’t the best player on the pitch.
Bryan Mbeumo celebrates scoring for Manchester United vs Burnley.
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Manchester United saw the arrival of a new superstar vs Burnley
Matheus Cunha’s day against Burnley was cut short as he was taken off through injury in the 30th minute, but in his absence, it was Bryan Mbeumo who stepped up.
Mbeumo was United’s best player against Burnley, as he scored his second goal in as many games and also created plenty of chances, including one big opportunity.
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As shown by Sofascore, Mbeumo had a really impressive outing, which is safely his best in a United shirt.
Infographic showing Bryan Mbeumo's stats for Manchester United vs Burnley.
Infographic from SofaScore.
Mbeumo was United’s escape route from pressure, with Fernandes finding him a couple of times with long balls, which led to chances.
One criticism is that Mbeumo needs to be a little more clinical when through on goal; otherwise, he may have had a couple of goals.
The 26-year-old stood out as being streets ahead of his teammates with brilliant touches and creativity on the ball, which we hope becomes the regular thing.
Mbeumo now has two in four games, which is a record that would please the club if he were able to replicate over the course of the campaign.
Bryan Mbeumo proud of Manchester United response vs Burnley
It was a big deal for United to beat Burnley, not just because of the three points, but due to the heat being put on the club over the past week.
United deserved to beat Arsenal and Fulham, even against Grimsby; the chances were there to win, but ultimately, none of these games panned out as deserved.
Three points and goals against Burnley could be a kick on for the rest of the season, and Mbeumo spoke post-game to Premier League productions about the importance of the victory.
“We know we’re in a difficult moment, and we just stick together. That’s what helped us today. It’s a big club, so the expectations are high. We need to deal with it. It’s a great feeling to win here. It’s really hard. Everyone expects a lot from us. It was really good to win today.”
Hopefully, this is just the start of a new United under Amorim.