A solid Manchester United performance was book-ended by two incidents which the club could have done without.
United’s clash against Burnley on Sunday afternoon was preceded by a banner flown over Turf Moor which hit out at executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
And the game’s biggest talking point arrived 20 minutes before the full-time whistle, when substitute Marcus Rashford was given a straight red card for an altercation with former United full-back Phil Bardsley.
Rashford went head-to-head with Bardsley after the Burnley defender became entangled with the youngster, who had only been on the pitch for 10 minutes.
Referee Jonathan Moss viewed the incident as violent conduct on Rashford’s part and the United forward was sent packing.
Luckily for the Red Devils, the result was already in the bag thanks to a first-half brace from Romelu Lukaku but Rashford will be well aware of the fact that it was stupid to rise to Bardsley’s gamesmanship.
Manager Jose Mourinho’s explanation of the incident sums it up as he pointed to the 20-year-old’s inexperience as the reason for the sending-off.
“I don’t know what happened. I would say it was naive,” Mourinho said after the game.
“It was a kid and a very experienced man. Bardsley’s been in the game for 20 years and Marcus is a naive boy.”
United’s victory has moved them up to 10th place in the table, with two wins and two defeats this season. They will travel to Watford, who have a 100 per cent record this term, after the international break.
