This archive report was first published on 29 December 2019.
Manchester United's 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday has reignited their hopes of securing a top-four spot in the Premier League, leaving them just a point outside the coveted Champions League places.
The victory, which marked United's first away win since February, was made possible by the emergence of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as a potent attacking duo. The pair's impressive display has given United a much-needed boost, particularly with rivals' inconsistency allowing them to close the gap.
Despite the absence of midfielder Paul Pogba, who is still recovering from injury, and Scott McTominay, who faces up to four weeks out with a knee injury, United's midfield was not significantly weakened. Nemanja Matic was handed a rare start, and the team had little trouble asserting their dominance over a cautious Burnley side.
Rashford's long-range free-kick forced goalkeeper Nick Pope into action, while Martial had a shot cleared off the line by Phil Bardsley in the 33rd minute. The French forward eventually broke the deadlock a minute before halftime, scoring a simple finish after Andreas Pereira robbed defender Charlie Taylor.
Sean Dyche's Burnley side struggled to create any openings, but were more positive after the break. David de Gea had to pull off a fine save in the 68th minute to keep out a low drive from Bardsley. However, United wrapped up the win in stoppage time with Dan James breaking and finding Rashford, who rounded Pope and slotted home.
United's win marks their second consecutive victory, following a 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day. The team's recent resurgence has been attributed to the emergence of Martial and Rashford as a formidable attacking partnership.
"We want to get (in the top four) and we're not far away. We did (challenge) towards the end of last season as well, we were close to the top four, but then we dropped off," said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United's Norwegian coach.
"Now they've responded to the defeat against Watford, I put a challenge to them and they've put my words to shame so I'm very happy with them," he added.
Rashford praised Martial, who scored twice in the win over Newcastle, saying: "He was brilliant again today. For a forward, there's nothing better than scoring goals. Hopefully, it keeps his confidence high and this can continue until the end of the season," he said.
