THIS Clarets squad must be scratching their heads at how they’ve taken one point from games against Manchester United this season.

From a position of strength at Old Trafford they were denied a famous victory in injury time. Within four weeks the rematch brought another impressive display from the Clarets. Only this time they were beaten.

The reason why is probably fairly simple. While United showed a cutting edge and a ruthlessness, testing Burnley with pace and power on the break, the Clarets lacked those attributes. Across almost all areas of the Turf Moor pitch they were the better side, but they couldn’t make the most of that superiority.

For all the encouraging play there was little penetration. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling will know they’ve been in a battle, but their clean sheet remained in tact, and that was the difference. It’s proving a familiar irritation.

On the balance of play it was an undeserved defeat, but with just 19 goals in 24 games striking first is crucial for the Clarets. As they climbed the table until mid-December those fine margins were falling for them. In a seven-game winless run since they’ve tended to go the other way.

Despite that disappointing run Burnley don’t look a side shorn of confidence. They were bright on the ball at Turf Moor, happy to try and stretch United, but they couldn’t carve out the quality of chances required to take advantage.

Perhaps the margins will swing back towards Burnley. You wouldn’t bet against it happening at Newcastle next week. But that first goal will be key.

They looked the better, brighter side in the first half on Saturday, but it resulted in half chances. Jeff Hendrick and Johann Berg Gudmundsson fired tamely at David De Gea from the edge of the area, before Hendrick sliced a half-volley wide and Ben Mee headed a Gudmundsson corner over.

Burnley were rarely threatened at the other end. Ashley Young showed invention to nutmeg Gudmundsson and burst into the area before curling wide, while Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba led a break, with the former firing wide.

That pace on the break was a warning the Clarets failed to heed. Mee’s only mistake of the afternoon was to try and win the ball from Romelu Lukaku on halfway early in the second half. The Belgian was too strong and charged forward before finding Martial in space on the edge of the box. He shifted the ball onto his right foot and slammed a shot in off the crossbar.

Normal service was soon resumed. Gudmundsson clipped the bar with a free-kick from 22 yards before Barnes poked a ball through to him from a half-cleared corner and the Iceland man’s ball across the six-yard box just evaded the sliding James Tarkowski.

United had their moments on the break, with Pogba seeing a shot blocked by Mee and Martial denied by Pope.

It was failing to Gudmundsson and Steven Defour to create for the Clarets and the latter took a quick free-kick near halfway, clipping a ball in for Barnes, who had slipped the attentions of Jones and Smalling, but he glanced wide.

Five minutes of injury-time brought more Burnley pressure. United twice managed to clear dangerous corners before Sam Vokes headed the Clarets final chance over.

Turf Moor rose to applaud the Clarets at full-time. It had been a performance that warranted a result. That it didn’t get one was the most frustrating aspect.