NEW Burnley manager Brian Laws will be delighted with a goalless first 45 minutes at Old Trafford.

The former Clarets fullback has already stamped a much-needed resilience on his troops, who have succeeded in snuffing out Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov so far.

But more dogged defending, largely executed by David Edgar on his first Premier League start for Burnley, has not come at the expense of their much-vaunted attacking flair.

Chris Eagles has been prominent in some bright moves against his former employees, and instigated the break from which Steven Fletcher was unlucky to see a great chance roll wide of Edwin van der Sar's right post, after getting on the end of David Nugent's pinpoint diagonal ball.

Fletcher limped off 10 minutes before the break, and his replacement, Steven Thompson, got into dangerous territory.

But United ended the half strongly, with Rooney bending a right footer wide before Brian Jensen got his fingertips to Nani's overhead kick.