Man Utd held by Burnley despite Sesko's double

Benjamin Sesko's second-half double was only enough for a 2-2 draw at struggling Burnley in Darren Fletcher's first game as Manchester United's interim head coach.

Fletcher stepped in after Ruben Amorim was dismissed on Monday, and the former Man Utd midfielder may have been fearing the worst when Ayden Heaven's early own goal handed Burnley the lead at Turf Moor.

But after United defender Lisandro Martinez saw what would have been a first-half equaliser ruled out, Sesko produced two fine finishes within 10 minutes of each other to put United in front.

That joy was short-lived, however, as Jaidon Anthony picked out the top-left corner after 66 minutes, with the Red Devils missing another chance to make ground on fourth-placed Liverpool before Arne Slot's side face Arsenal on Thursday.

The draw leaves Man Utd sixth in the table, two points off Liverpool, while Burnley – whose winless run extended to 12 matches – remain 19th and eight points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

How the match unfolded

Burnley started brightly and went ahead after 13 minutes when Bashir Humphreys’ cross deflected off Heaven and looped past a stranded Senne Lammens in the United goal.

Humphreys then made a tremendous intervention at the other end to clear Matheus Cunha’s header off the line, before Martinez’s close-range finish was disallowed for his foul on Kyle Walker in the build-up.

Man Utd kept pushing before half-time as goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made a brilliant stop to deny Sesko’s header, while Maxime Esteve again cleared off the line from Patrick Dorgu’s clipped attempt.

Sesko then equalised with a 50th-minute finish into the bottom-left corner following a smart pass from the returning Bruno Fernandes, who smacked an effort against the post moments later.

Dorgu’s left-sided cross soon after found an unmarked Sesko to expertly volley past Dubravka, only for Anthony to equalise six minutes later with a brilliant strike that left Lammens helpless.

Watch: Sesko's double v Burnley

United substitute Shea Lacey almost stole it at the death, thundering an effort against the crossbar as Burnley held on for a hard-fought point.

Spirited Clarets earn point after a battling display

Burnley failed to lay a glove on Brighton & Hove Albion last time out as they fell to a 2-0 loss, but they began well here.

Stretching the Man Utd back line with incisive runs in behind, they earned their reward through Heaven's unfortunate own goal, but Burnley soon lost their grip on the contest.

Their one-goal lead at the break was only a result of heroic clearances on the line from Humphreys and Esteve, along with some impressive saves from Dubravka.

And that pressure told after the break as they relinquished their lead quickly and went behind. But they never backed down, battling back through Anthony's moment of brilliance.

A credible draw still saw their winless run continue, but Parker’s side will put their relegation worries on hold for their next match as they host Millwall in the FA Cup.

Man Utd begin life after Amorim with point on the road

Amorim’s departure after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Leeds United saw Fletcher step in on a temporary basis, though former head coaches Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick have been linked in the media with the interim role until the end of the season.

Man Utd formation v Burnley and Leeds

Fletcher's introduction could not have initially started much worse, as Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte struggled to gain any midfielder control, with the former failing to track the run from Humphreys that heavily contributed to Burnley's opener.

But they ended the first half strongly, with Sesko seeing his header saved before the Slovenian equalised after being found by the impressive Fernandes, whose return from injury served as a massive boost for United.

The chances kept coming as the Red Devils found their groove in the attacking phases, with Fernandes and Heaven going close, before Sesko scored another with a beautifully guided finish for his fourth league goal of the season.

However, United were made to pay for yet another lapse in concentration defensively and had to settle for a point in another blow to their UEFA Champions League hopes.

Fletcher and Man Utd must now respond quickly, turning their attention to a home FA Cup tie against Brighton before a mouthwatering derby with Manchester City at Old Trafford.

Club reports

Burnley report | Man Utd report

What the managers said

Scott Parker: "I demanded a reaction [after the Brighton defeat] and every one of the players wanted that reaction as well. So we came off the back of a result at the weekend where we were hugely critical, me as well, to the group, and the players as well. We let ourselves down at the weekend in a certain element that we need to bring to a game of football in the Premier League and we did that tonight.

"We started the game well. We got our noses in front and from there going 2-1 down, the reaction after that was superb really. Pleased with a point and we move on, a big point for us."

Darren Fletcher: "I'll be in charge at the weekend for Brighton, that is the next step as far as I know. When the club ask me to do something I am more than willing to help so it will be a great honour leading the team out at Old Trafford. All the focus is on that, recovering from this game and preparing for Brighton.

"Honestly I am not thinking about that [having the job long term]. I'm just thinking about the task at hand and the job I have been given for this game and the game on Sunday. There is a lot going on with preparing and recovering and all my focus and energy is going on that. What happens beyond that is out of my control."

Next PL fixtures

Key facts

Burnley are winless in their last 12 Premier League matches (D3 L9), their joint-longest run in a single campaign (also 12 between November and January in 2009/10).

Man Utd have drawn three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since December 2018.

Burnley scored twice in a home league game against the Red Devils for the first time since February 1968. They had only scored twice overall in their first nine Premier League meetings with them at Turf Moor.

Fernandes has provided more assists than any other player in the Premier League this season with eight, while only in 2020/21 (12) and 2024/25 (10) has he provided more in a single campaign.