Manchester United self-destruct again as recurring theme leaves Erik ten Hag doomed

Erik ten Hag objects when his Manchester United are described as a disgrace or an embarrassment, so there may be a need for a more measured turn of phrase. But this was an indictment: of a club, a team and a manager. United showcased their self-destructive streak again, suggesting no lead is safe when they possess it, and dropped two points.

An afternoon that appeared to offer rare vindication for Ten Hag’s policy of recruiting anyone who had ever played for Ajax instead brought rather mixed returns.

Antony has rarely offered much solace as a signing but his belated first league goal in 32 league games and 378 days was shaping up as the winner when Andre Onana, who had produced a contender for save of the season, then delivered a second costly mistake in as many games. Zeki Amdouni scored the penalty he conceded and Burnley’s recent renaissance continued. They have only lost once in eight matches.

United ended a week unbeaten but with a body of work over the last three fixtures that has showcased their flaws and frailties. They gave up a three-goal advantage to Championship Coventry, twice trailed to Championship-bound Sheffield United and were the inferior side for swathes of the game against a Burnley side who could be in the Championship next season.

If nothing else, the last week suggests United have the makings of an upper-half Championship side. They may instead be bound for the Europa Conference League after a day when Newcastle loosened their hold on sixth place.

And home matches against Sheffield United and Burnley have demonstrated there is no such thing as an easy game for this United. The concept of a routine win is alien to them. This time, they could not conjure any kind of victory, instead ending up with a fourth draw in six league outings. But for Onana’s injury-time save from Wilson Odobert, they would have conceded at least twice for a sixth successive match and Burnley would have had just a second league win at Old Trafford in six decades.

As it was, they ended with 15 shots – still fewer than most sides enjoy against United – but arguably the better chances. Ten Hag’s team allowed the first inside 25 seconds, David Datro Fofana being denied by Onana. At least, from a United perspective, it was Burnley’s only effort in the first 25 minutes. Then Onana turned Odobert’s menacing effort over the bar and it was the start of a flurry.

The pick of the bunch, and perhaps the best of the Cameroonian’s eventful, inconsistent United career, came when Lyle Foster redirected Josh Cullen’s volley with a deft header. An acrobatic Onana reacted to change direction, take off and tip it away. A second fine stop from the striker, when Sander Berge sent him sprinting clear at goal, was an indication of the ease with which Burnley opened up United.

The loss of five injured centre-backs and two left-backs was a mitigating factor, but it is a recurring theme that United are far too open; with Burnley committing to an attacking 4-4-2, so were they. Both teams left space in the centre of the pitch. Ten Hag continued his tactical experiment of a team with no midfield.

It rendered the goalkeeper overworked, as he has often has been. But amid the excellence came an error which suggested Onana had not learned from his opening-day escape. As he came for, and missed a cross, Onana clattered into Amdouni. It was a flashback to the final minutes against Wolves in August. This time, however, the officials intervened, the VAR Peter Bankes sending referee John Brooks to the screen. He pointed to the spot and Amdouni sent Onana the wrong way.

It deprived Antony of the status of the match-winner. His goal was a story of Burnley’s season. Some of their attempts to play out from the back have been disastrous. It was when Sander Berge played a square pass that the Brazilian read, ran on to and angled a shot past Aro Muric. After his much-criticised need to celebrate in front of Coventry fans at Wembley, Antony at last had a goal of his own to savour.

If nothing else, it was reward for persistence. He should have scored earlier, accumulating shots, drawing a couple of fine saves from Muric and missing the target with perhaps his best opportunity. He was effervescent, buzzing around, cushioning a pass to Aaron Wan-Bissaka with his back. He was less proficient at finding teammates with his feet.

United’s best players, unsurprisingly, were Alejandro Garnacho, who had a shot tipped over, and Bruno Fernandes, who crashed a drive against the post and supplied creativity. But it came amid the mayhem of a team with no control careering along with no great sense of direction, with shots raining in at either end, with United looking Burnley’s equals. It was a strange kind of entertainment, but it really wasn’t good enough.