That’s it for tonight. I’ll leave with Jamie Jackson’s match report. On behalf of all the liveblog writers, thanks for your emails and company throughout the year. See you in 2022!

Scott McTominay’s post-match thoughts

“The first-half performance was good but we were still a bit flat in the second half for whatever reason. The game at Newcastle was difficult so we had to bounce back. The manager said that we set a record for the most amount of turnovers in the league for a long time, so that message was clear – keep the ball better, more forward passes and everything else that the manager wants.

“We had more energy but goals help with that – if we’d banged in two or three against Newcastle in the first half, the whole team would have had more energy. We haven’t been good enough all season and it’s about time we started stepping up. The manager’s so demanding - his coaching staff as well - that we have to step up, there’s no other choice. You play for Man United, it’s the only way.

“I was struggling to play today – I had a problem with my right foot after Newcastle, but it turned out all right. [On the criticism of the team’s body language at St James’ Park] I wouldn’t say [it was fair]. I felt that off the ball against Newcastle we weren’t as bad as everyone has been saying. [Negative] body language is one thing and the manager has completely cut that out. He said he wants no more, and that’s final.”

Cristiano Ronaldo gets an assist for McTominay’s goal, even though all he wanted to do was set himself up for a shot. But McTominay doesn’t get one for the sizzling shot that ultimately led to the third goal. That doesn’t seem right, and there’s a case for making the awarding of assists more subjective.

“That ‘non-event’ second half was the kind of game-management Reds have been craving for over ten years,” says Paul Shay.

Fair point. It was Covid-hit Burnley at home, mind. But yes, I think Ralf Rangnick will be reasonably pleased with how they played, and he’ll be delighted with Scott McTominay’s performance.

All the excitement was in the first half. The Man of the Match Scott McTominay gave United an early lead with an impatient shot from the edge of the area. Jadon Sancho’s off-target shot was poked into his own net by Ben Mee and Cristiano Ronaldo gobbled up the rebound after Wayne Hennessey pushed a sizzler from McTominay onto the post.

The impressive Aaron Lennon got one back for Burnley shortly before half-time but they never seriously looked like pegging United back. The second half was a bit of a non-event.

90+3 min de Gea makes a comfortable save from Tarkowski, who muscled Maguire aside to win a high, hanging free-kick from the halfway line. Having beaten Maguire to the ball, he should have done better.

90+2 min A late change for United: Fred replaces Cristiano Ronaldo, who made the first goal (sort of) and scored the third.

90+1 min Three minutes of added time.

90 min At the other end, Ronaldo volleys into the side netting from an absurd angle.

90 min Pieters misses a decent chance, fresh-airing a shot with his right foot after the ball ricocheted across the United area.

89 min Westwood’s deep corner is headed wide from a few yards by Tarkowski at the far post. As with Mee’s chance earlier in the half, he jumped a bit early, though he probably feels he had to jump before everyone else to have any chance of winning the header.

87 min An extraordinary curling pass from Westwood in the inside-right channel - the sort De Bruyne and Alexander-Arnold have mastered - just evades the stretching Vydra at the far post.

86 min Man Utd’s next game is at home to Wolves on Monday. (Today is Thursday, since you asked.) Burnley go to Leeds on Sunday.

84 min Another Burnley change - Erik Pieters is on for Dwight McNeil.

84 min A snap volley from Shaw, on the edge of the D, flies over the bar.

83 min I’ll wake you up when the second half starts.

80 min Another Manchester United change: Diogo Dalot replaces Mason Greenwood. That’s a slight surprise, as I assumed he would replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka rather than play in front of him.

79 min Ronaldo hammers the free-kick into the wall, flooring Tarkowski in the process.

78 min Stephens is penalised, probably harshly, for a challenge on McTominay 22 yards from goal. Ronaldo is over the free-kick.

76 min “That’s the thing with Scott McT,” says Adam Roberts. “Just when you begin to wonder if he’s worth the fuss, he turns in a storming performance. This is the view from my bedroom for the week, by the way. Happy New Year.”

For reasons too boring to explain, I’m not able to upload Adam’s pic. But it’s basically this.

75 min Cavani is fuming when he does get to his feet. He has words with Mee and then turns his attention to Sean Dyche on the touchline.

74 min Cavani is down holding his face after an aerial challenge with Mee. There wasn’t much in it; I think he was caught by a stray arm.

74 min A change for Burnley: Matej Vydra replaces Aaron Lennon, who played really well in the No10 role.

70 min Hennessey makes a spectacular save with his face from Cavani. The flag went up afterwards, though replays showed it was very tight so a goal might have stood. It was a lovely move, too - Sancho’s deep cross found Ronaldo, who steered it back towards Cavani eight yards out. He twisted his body to ram the bouncing ball towards goal, and Hennessey’s coupon did the rest.

69 min There hasn’t been a huge amount of pressing from United tonight, certainly not as much as in their last home Premier League game against Crystal Palace.

67 min Westwood’s deep, inswinging corner is headed over by Mee at the far post. He mistimed his jump, I think, and was on the way down by the time he made contact with the ball.

67 min The excellent Lennon robs McTominay and plays the ball out to McNeil, whose cross is put behind by Wan-Bissaka. A Burnley goal now would enliven the evening.

65 min There’s a break in play while the luckless Eric Bailly receives treatment. It doesn’t seem too bad but he’s going off nonetheless. Raphael Varane replaces him.

63 min They don’t and United break. Sancho is held up on the edge of the Burnley area, but Ronaldo collects the ball and lays it back from McTominay. He curls another sizzling long-range shot that is fingertipped over the bar by the flying Hennessey. That’s another seriously good save. Oh and also, Scott McTominay appears to have become Arie Haan for the night.

63 min Lennon runs at Bailly in the area and wins a corner. Replays suggests Bailly didn’t touch the ball, so we’ll have some fun and games if Burnley’s score from the corner.

61 min It’s been a slow, low-key second half, as if both teams are unconsciously saving some energy for their upcoming games.

60 min “Evening Rob,” says Stephen Carr. “I’m really enjoying the debate on what formation best suits a player who doesn’t want to be at a club that doesn’t even have a permanent manager and the stand in manager probably doesn’t want said player there anyway.”

Arf. Modern football/life in a nutshell.

58 min A change for Burnley: Dale Stephens replaces Jack Cork in midfield.

57 min Wood’s looping header is comfortably saved just under the bar by de Gea.

55 min On the touchline, Ralf Rangnick doesn’t look entirely thrilled. United have been more ruthless than brilliant, but I suppose that beats the muck they served up the other night.

52 min Ronaldo almost puts Sancho through with an improvised chest pass. He got slightly too much on it, which allowed Mee to come across and clear.

50 min A Greenwood rasper is pushed away two-handed by Hennessey, a decent but ultimately comfortable save.

49 min Greenwood’s inswinging cross is headed wide by Ronaldo ahead of the near post. Wasn’t much of a chance.

49 min Nothing to report in the first few minutes of the second half.

46 min Peep peep! Burnley begin the second half.

Parish notes The second goal has officially been credited as a Ben Mee oh gee.

Half-time reading

“Per the Pogba question, I think United’s current squad seems best suited to 4-3-3 to allow all the quick forwards to rotate and the left/right center-mids to be more/less attacking depending on the opposition…” says Mark Childs. “Obviously, we’d need a good CDM to hold the midfielder together but we need that anyway.”

We’re still entertaining Pogba as a credible option, are we? I’m not sure about that system, not if two of the three are preominantly attacking players. It works for City, but they aren’t comparable, and Liverpool have more blue-collar workers in ther midfield. I do like 4-3-3 as a system if you have the right players; I just don’t see how you can play it with these players, particularly Bruno Fernandes.

45+2 min Greenwood drags a shot wide of the near post after beating Lennon with a stylish stepover.

45 min Two added minutes.

43 min The scoreline is a bit harsh on Burnley, who have contributed plenty to an exciting half.

42 min Greenwood runs at Lowton on the left and stands up a good cross that is headed over at the far post by Ronaldo. It was no more than a half chance, at least for normal people.

41 min Since you asked, Aaron Lennon and Cristiano Ronaldo first played agianst each other on 18 October 2003.

40 min Incidentally, here’s that Paul Jones save I was talking about (1m20s in)

Lennon picked Bailly’s pocket 40 yards out and went straight for goal. He ran at the backpedalling Maguire, into the area, and then threaded a gentle low shot that beat the sprawling de Gea and sneaked into the bottom corner.

McTominay, 20 yards out, flashed a curling shot that was quite brilliantly pushed onto the post by Hennessey. The ball rebounded to Ronaldo, who shoved it nonchantly into the empty net with the outside of his right foot.

34 min At the other end Wood has a shot blocked by Bailly after a wrestling match with Maguire. Sean Dyche is asking the fourth official why serial shirt-grabber Maguire was allowed to partially disrobe Wood in the penalty area.

33 min Greenwood’s long-range curler is comfortably saved by Hennessey, falling to his left.

33 min “Luke Shaw certainly is playing like the 78th-best player in the word,” hoots Matt Dony.

78th-best male player, Matthew.

30 min: Another chance for Ronaldo! McTominay muscled Cork and another Burnley player off the ball in midfield, surged forward and slid an angled pass to Ronaldo just inside the area. Ronaldo’s first touch left the ball behind, and by the time he was able to shoot there were enough Burnley defenders around to block it.

29 min “Hi Rob,” says Ruth Purdue. “Do you think Pogba will suit this formation if the manager sticks with it? He is the best passer in the team, maybe even the league (apart from Kevin). Although he is leaving in the summer.”

As Ralf Rangnick’s favourite word is ‘intensity’, I can’t imagine Pogba is high on his list of dream midfielders. I suppose Pogba might do well as the left-sided No10, but there’s plenty of competition for that place.

Actually, that’s probably a Ben Mee own goal - Sancho’s shot took a slight but decisive deflection off his outstretched right foot. The goal came from a Burnley mistake, when Lowton and McNeil tackled each other 35 yards from goal. Shaw picked up the loose ball and found Sancho on the left. He cut inside, shifted the ball with quick feet and slid a low shot towards the far corner. It would probably have gone wide but for Mee’s touch. That said, the classy way that Sancho moved the ball away from Tarkowski and shot in the same movement was straight from his Dortmund showreel.

25 min The resulting corner leads to a bit of a scramble, during which Cavani’s snapshot is blocked.

24 min Greenwood pings a cross-shot that is kicked behind by Mee at the near post.

22 min Matic fouls Gudmundsson near the corner flag on the left. de Gea comes for the free-kick and gets nowhere near it, but the unsighted Wood (I think) can only head the ball straight up in the air. It drops onto the head of a United defender, who does the necessary.

20 min: Just wide by Shaw! This is the Luke Shaw of last season. He charges over the halfway line, uses Greenwood by not using him and runs all the way to the edge of the area before cutting across a drive that ripples the side netting.

19 min Jon Champion, the Amazon commentator, confirms that Nick Pope and Jay Rodriguez have Covid.

18 min United’s shape is interesting. I’d still describe it as 4-2-2-2, but the hexagon is more squashed then usual. Sancho in particular is staying wide a lot of the time.

17 min Not much has happened in the last few minutes. The game still feels very open, though, and Burnley are playing some good stuff.

13 min “Ah, the mystery of van de Beek,” says Mary Waltz. “Everyone assumed that Ole was the stumbling block to his career. New manager, different formation, still no van de Beek. Maybe he is bad in training.”

What makes you so sure he gets a game in training?

10 min At the other end, Gudmundsson’s stinging volley hits Wan-Bissaka. Burnley really have come to play.

Greenwood cut inside from the right and had a shot blocked. He collected the ball near the byline and played it back to Ronaldo on the edge of the area. Ronaldo shifted the ball infield, onto his left foot, with a view to shooting. It didn’t come to that, though, because McTominay ran onto the ball and sidefooted a first-time shot past Hennessey.

6 min: Ronaldo misses a sitter! Well I never. Shaw created the chance with a terrific long pass that put Ronaldo through on goal. He controlled an awkward bouncing ball superbly with his head but then sidefooted a half-volley over the bar from just inside the area.

5 min Burnley have made a really good start. Lennon leads a break and finds Wood, who flashes a curler just wide from the edge of the area. It wouldn’t have counted as Wood was offside, but it was another promising counter-attack. Incidentally, McNeil has started on the right, with Gudmundsson on the left.

4 min A terrific cross from Lowton is headed wide by the diving Wood, eight yards from goal at the far post. That was a pretty good chance.

3 min United have started with Sancho and Greenwood playing wide, rather than as No10s. Is that ... 4-4-2?

2 min Tacticswatch: Burnley are playing 4-4-1-1, with Lennon buzzing behind Chris Wood.

1 min Peep peep! Manchester United kick off from right to left.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who turns 80 tomorrow, is in the house. He looks quite dapper, too, with a flat cap atop his noggin.

In other news

“I think the Dropzone Trilogy are headlining a rave in Bristol this weekend,” says Edan Tal. “Perhaps supported by The J-Rod/Mee Collective.”

I thought they were called the Meekowski Massive (feat J-Rod)?

van de Beek has started two Premier League games in 2021, both when the entire first XI was rested. His marginalisation, first under Solskjaer and now Rangnick, is one the unsolved mysteries of the year. The footballer who died twice.

Ralf Rangnick makes six changes from the 1-1 draw at Newcastle. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Eric Bailly, Nemanja Matic, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani replace Diogo Dalot, Alex Telles, Raphael Varane, Fred Fred, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. They’re all on the bench apart from Fernandes, who is suspended.

Sean Dyche makes one two changes from that 0-0 draw with West Ham back in the day. Aaron Lennon and Wayne Hennessey replace Jay Rodriguez and Nick Pope, who are not in the squad. In fact Burnley have only named seven substitutes. We don’t know yet whether Lennon will play up front or wide in a five-man midfield. Hennessey will definitely play in goal.