Burnley 2 United 2

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 Lisandro Martinez saw what would have been a first-half leveller 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 pass from Bruno Fernandes, who smacked an effort against the post moments later.

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

United substitute Shea Lacey almost stole it at the death, thundering an effort against the crossbar, though 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 backline 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.

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 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 forced 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.