SUMMARY
- Manchester United once again failed to keep their lead as they drew 1-1 with Burnley inside Old Trafford.
- A howler from keeper Andre Onana gifted Burnley a penalty that futher damaged United's Europe hopes.
Manchester United took on Burnley in its 34th fixture of Premier League 23/24. The match was hugely important, as it could affect the points table in a lot of ways.
A win for Manchester United would strengthen their ambitions of playing in European competitions next season, even giving a push to their hopes for a UEFA Champions League spot. As for Burnley, a win would have been immensely helpful for their relegation survival.
Goal for Burnley. Zeki Amdouni makes it 1-1 from the spot.#MUFC || #MUNBUR
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 27, 2024
However, the match would end 1-1, with Manchester United blowing the lead because of a late penalty. Andre Onana in an attempt to grab the ball from a strange, headed pass by Casemiro, mistakenly punched Burnley’s Zeki Amdouni in the 87th minute. As a result of the incident, Burnley was awarded a penalty, that Zeki duly converted.
Manchester United fans were livid by Onana’s poor decision-making. They were furious that the players had bottled three precious points against a side that had only one win in their last 5 games. These fans took to social media platform X to vent their frustration against the Cameroonian goalkeeper.
The user ‘CASPRO’ wrote, “Bring back De Gea”, as if he had already given up on the current Manchester United goalkeeper. ‘Collins Dopara X’ had a similar view as he questioned David De Gea’s whereabouts. The user wrote, “Where’s De Gea?”
‘Lucy Nicholson 🦋’ wrote, “EMBARRASSING!!!! Can never keep a lead.” While ‘tengolotodo 🦁⚛️’ commented, “Cannot beat a relegated team at Old Trafford …. ETH out”
Both ‘Bukayo Nõt Saka’ and ‘AkinAde Now Olori Ebi 𓃵’ made fun of Andre Onana, as they blamed the Cameroonian for the draw. The two commented, “Onana just find ways to mess things up” and “Onana thinks he is playing boxing 😂” respectively.
David De Gea hits at a possible return to action through a social media post
The former Manchester United goalkeeper hasn’t signed with a new club ever since his contract with ‘The Red Devils’ ended in 2023. However, the 33-year-old has recently posted a video on Instagram that saw him doing some goalkeeping drills. He also capped off the post with a brilliant caption that read, “We remember. We rebuild. We come back stronger 🫀.”
View this post on Instagram
Interestingly a player of De Gea’s stature has also found it difficult to find a new club. This is accredited due to his high wage demands, which no club seems ready enough to meet. However, the Spaniard has been linked to a number of Saudi clubs in the recent past. Moreover, Newcastle United were said to have been interested in the Spaniard during the January transfer window after Nick Pope’s injury.
The latest club to be linked with the 33-year-old is La Liga side, Real Betis. David De Gea’s Instagram post has, however, given Andre Onana some nightmares as the United fans keep yearning for a return of their former goalkeeper.
Manchester United was denied a penalty in the 90th minute
The United fans’ anger was multiplied in the 90th minute when they believed that Manchester United was robbed of a clear penalty. The club’s Brazilian winger Antony took a shot, that hit clearly hit the hand of a Burnley defender. However, despite the ferocious appeal from the Old Trafford crowd and the United players, the referees didn’t give Manchester United a penalty.
Football is unfair for Manchester United, Antony got a penalty but turned down by VAR. Shame!!! pic.twitter.com/LkcnACN2fW
— uncle_mohr👨🏽⚕️🔴 (@SaniHarunasani1) April 27, 2024
That incident in the 90th minute incident summed up Manchester United’s entire game. The team was very unlucky to have lost in the dying moments of the game, due to a goalkeeping howler.
Moreover, Antony who has been under a lot of scrutiny lately, would be gutted to have his first PL goal in almost a year canceled out by the late Burnley goal. Manchester United would now have to recuperate themselves as the team faces Crystal Palace on May 7, 2024, in their quest to achieve European qualification.
