Lisandro Martinez brilliant at both ends in hard-fought Burnley draw | OneFootball

Manchester United kicked off the post-Ruben Amorim era with a 2-2 draw at struggling Burnley.

The Red Devils were wasteful, a Benjamin Sesko brace all they had to show for the 30 shots they took.

An unlucky Ayden Heaven own goal and an impressive second-half effort from Jaidon Antony cancelled out the Slovenian’s haul and left United with just one point in Darren Fletcher’s first game in interim charge.

Martinez a metronome

Fletcher’s first move in the United dugout was to move to a back four from Amorim’s much-maligned back three.

Lisandro Martinez partnered the hapless Heaven at centre-back, where contributed much more than just defensive contributions.

The Argentine showed just what he’s capable of with the ball at his feet and was seriously impressive with his passing.

Martinez made the most passes of anyone on the pitch, finding his man 64 times from 68 attempts.

This worked out at a deeply impressive 94% accuracy. He pinged nine long balls, six of which were accurate.

Defence and attack

United were not unduly troubled by Burnley’s attack, but Martinez nevertheless was called upon to defend several times.

No United man blocked more shots than his two, and he also made one clearance.

Of the players to feature for the full 90 minutes, nobody lost possession fewer times than Martinez, who was typically tenacious in the duel.

Despite his diminutive stature he won both aerial duels he contested, and came out on top in four of the seven he contested on the ground.

His involvement in United’s forward play was evidenced by his remarkable ability to beat his man – he completed all four of his attempted dribbles, more than anyone else on the pitch.

He even had the ball in the net in the first half, briefly levelling the score before it was swiftly ruled out for a foul on Kyle Walker.

Lisandro Martinez vs. Burnley

It’s an uncertain time at United given Amorim’s sacking and Fletcher’s status as interim coach, but Martinez showed that he should be one of the first names on the teamsheet whoever is writing it.

Stats taken from sofascore.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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