Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko scored twice as his team started the post-Ruben Amorim era with a familiar sense of frustration in a 2-2 Premier League draw against lowly Burnley on Wednesday.
United, led by interim manager Darren Fletcher, would have climbed to fourth place with a win, but fell to seventh with 32 points after a third straight draw. Burnley are 19th, eight points adrift of safety.
United looked to be on their way to victory before Burnley substitute Jaidon Anthony scored an equalizer in the 66th minute, taking advantage of poor defending to launch a blistering shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Burnley had stunned the visitors in the 13th minute when Bashir Humphreys’ cross took a big deflection off United defender Ayden Heaven and ended up in the far corner of the net.
However, Sesko ended a nine-match goal drought in the 50th minute when he met a perfectly weighted ball from Bruno Fernandes and fired a low shot past Martin Dubravka first-time, and the Slovenian striker completed his double ten minutes later when he sent in Patrick Dorgu’s cross with a superb volley.
United had several chances to grab a late winner, including a powerful strike against the crossbar from substitute Shea Lacey, and they had ten shots on target in the match to that of the home side.
In the first half alone, the visitor had two attempts cleared off the line, one from Humphreys and one from Maxime Esteve.
Casemiro headed Fernandes’ free-kick into the middle and Matheus Cunha leapt high for a header which Humphreys headed out of danger, falling back into his own net.
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Dorgu tapped the ball over keeper Dubravka, but Esteve slid in to clear the ball off the line and
United’s Lisandro Martinez had a goal disallowed after VAR ruled he had fouled Kyle Walker in the build-up.
A big plus for United was the return of captain Fernandes, who started his first game since suffering a hamstring injury before Christmas.
Published on January 8, 2026
