Burnley held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor, while Aston Villa were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Benjamin Sesko’s second-half double was only enough to earn a point for United in Darren Fletcher’s first game as interim head coach. Fletcher stepped in after Ruben Amorim was dismissed on Monday, and the former United midfielder may have feared the worst when Ayden Heaven’s early own goal handed Burnley the lead.
United thought they had equalised before the break through Lisandro Martinez, but the effort was ruled out. Sesko then struck twice within 10 minutes after the interval with two fine finishes to put the visitors ahead.
However, United’s lead was short-lived as Jaidon Anthony curled a superb effort into the top-left corner in the 66th minute. The result saw the Red Devils miss another opportunity to close the gap on fourth-placed Liverpool, who face Arsenal on Thursday.
The draw leaves Manchester United sixth in the table, two points behind Liverpool, while Burnley extended their winless run to 12 matches and remain 19th, eight points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa played out a goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A cagey first half saw Villa goalkeeper Emi Martínez make a fine save from Brennan Johnson, while Ollie Watkins was denied at the other end by Palace keeper Dean Henderson.
Both sides pushed for a winner after the break, with Villa coming closest in the 84th minute when Watkins headed Matty Cash’s cross against the post. The point keeps Unai Emery’s side third in the standings as their focus shifts to the FA Cup and a trip to Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
Elsewhere, Everton were held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves in a controversial encounter at Hill Dickinson Stadium that saw the hosts finish with nine men.
Michael Keane opened the scoring in the 17th minute, turning in from close range after Wolves failed to clear a free-kick. Mateus Mane equalised midway through the second half with a confident finish.
Everton were reduced to 10 men eight minutes from time following a lengthy VAR review, with Keane adjudged to have committed an act of violent conduct after pulling the hair of Tolu Arokodare during an aerial challenge. The situation worsened when Jack Grealish was sent off shortly afterwards for a second bookable offence.
IANS
