Manchester United’s lingering Premier League title hopes were dealt another blow despite them coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Burnley on Tuesday.
Jose Mourinho’s side were facing a defeat at Old Trafford for only the second time this year thanks to first-half goals from Ashley Barnes and Steven Defour before Jesse Lingard came off the bench to earn his side a point.
It means United have still only lost to Manchester City at home in 2017, but they will be 15 points behind the runaway Premier League leaders if Pep Guardiola’s side beat Newcastle United on Wednesday.
The Red Devils endured a tough week before Christmas as they exited the EFL Cup to Bristol City before conceding a last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 league draw with Leicester City, and they found themselves behind after only three minutes when Barnes capitalised on their failure to defend a free-kick.
United pushed for an equaliser but were dealt a sucker punch when Defour, once linked with a move to the club, struck a superb free-kick before the interval.
Lingard came off the bench to flick home and give his side a lifeline, and Burnley were denied a first away league win over United since September 1962 when the England international fired home in second-half injury time.
The draw sees Burnley stay in seventh place and keeps United in second, one point above Chelsea, but the result has surely struck a hammer blow to their hopes of hauling in their neighbours at the summit.
In other Premier League results:
Goals from Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso gave Chelsea a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion and moved the reigning Premier League champions to within a point of second-placed Manchester United.
Stoke City came from behind to draw 1-1 with Huddersfield in the Premier League on Boxing Day and further ease the pressure on manager Mark Hughes.
Molla Wague and Abdoulaye Doucoure inspired Watford’s turnaround as the Hornets came from behind to defeat Leicester City 2-1 in the Premier League.
Everton kept their fourth Premier League clean sheet under Sam Allardyce as they drew 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
Callum Wilson scored a 93rd-minute equaliser to rescue a point for Bournemouth in a thrilling 3-3 draw with West Ham United.
