Manchester United couldn’t see out a win against Burnley and ended up having to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon.
United came into the game off the back of two wins; stressful wins, but still wins.
The penalty shoot-out win against Coventry City was followed up by a comeback victory against Sheffield United in midweek.
Those displays were unconvincing and United offered up the same again on Saturday afternoon.
Antony opened the scoring for United but United just couldn’t hang on, giving away a penalty which Zeki Amdouni converted.
United couldn’t find a winner and had a penalty shout turned down, but it was another disappointing showing from Erik ten Hag’s side.
The top four has now gone for United and Ten Hag is subsequently under pressure having seen his United side go backwards this season.
Erik ten Hag on Antony
This was another disappointing weekend for United but Antony may feel a sense of encouragement.
The Brazilian was handed a start on the right flank with Alejandro Garnacho on the right side and Marcus Rashford left on the bench.
This was a big chance for Antony and he at least scored the opener for United, taking full advantage from a Burnley mistake.
That was Antony’s first Premier League goal of the season and his numbers this season just aren’t good enough.
One goal and one assist isn’t enough when United splashed £85million on him and fans have been wanting to see more from the Brazilian.
Ten Hag was happy with what he saw, telling United’s official website that he felt Antony made a big impact against the Clarets.
Ten Hag suggested that Antony was a ‘threat’ throughout and his overall performance was pleasing having got into goalscoring positions on a regular basis.
“He was a threat all through,” said Ten Hag. “It wasn’t a surprise he scored a goal as he also had more chances before that to score a goal. Two or three times, with his runs and good movements in the box. He was there and we are pleased with his performance today,” he added.
Antony stats as pressure mounts
Antony managed six shots on target against Burnley – he had managed just eight across the rest of the Premier League season.
The lack of attacking threat from Antony has been a concern throughout his career at Old Trafford but this was a step in the right direction.
The end product still needs to improve but there was more intent from Antony.
We also saw the Brazilian chip in with three tackles and three interceptions, making an impact off the ball too.
United still need more from Antony and one performance against Burnley isn’t going to chance many people’s minds, but Ten Hag will be looking for this display to be a real stepping stone moving forward.
