AWAY RECORD

The point at Old Trafford continued Burnley’s staggering turnaround on the road this season.

The away record of last term, when the Clarets won just once and not until April 29, is now a memory so distant it feels like it belongs to a different era.

What is most remarkable about Burnley’s away record this season is the teams they have played. The Clarets have had by far a tougher run on the road than at Turf Moor.

They’ve now played eight of last season’s top nine away from home, winning four, drawing three and losing just the once, at Manchester City, who are beating everyone.

Sean Dyche’s side have now avoided defeat at Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United this season. Considering the toil they endured a year ago that is a fantastic record.

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

While Ben Mee just edged my man of the match award his defensive partner Kevin Long wasn’t far behind the skipper.

This was probably Long’s best day yet in a Claret shirt, made all the more impressive considering the troubles he had against Harry Kane at Turf Moor on Saturday.

At times Long looked out of his depth against Tottenham, conceding a penalty with a tackle he didn’t have to make and looking shaky after that.

But he responded quite brilliantly at Old Trafford, standing up to the threat posed by Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The physicality of the two United strikers is certainly more Long’s game than the clever, incisive moment of Kane, but this was the ideal way to respond to Saturday’s setback.

DEFOUR’S DAY

It was a red letter day on Boxing Day for Steven Defour, who made his mark on Old Trafford a decade after he seemed destined to be turning out for United.

Defour was regularly linked with a move to Manchester during his formative years at Standard Liege and Sir Alex Ferguson was such an admirer that he wrote the midfielder a letter after he broke a foot.

In the end the move never materialised and Defour has had to wait for his chance in the Premier League. He almost certainly didn’t envisage it being with Burnley but he’s making the most of it now it’s arrived and his stunning free-kick was a moment of technical excellence that will live long in the memory.

FIRST CHOICE STRIKER

Injury might have ruled Chris Wood out of the Boxing Day fixture but he has to be feeling the pressure from Ashley Barnes for that starting spot when all the front men are fit.

After a fast start to his Clarets career Wood has stumbled upon a lean patch of late, scoring just once in his last nine Burnley games.

The door has been opened for Barnes and he could find himself staying in the team after a fine display at Old Trafford

His uncompromising style is certainly one Premier League defenders don’t enjoy, but there is far more to Barnes’ game than that and he has three goals in his last nine appearances, six of which have been off the bench.

As Dyche has always said, if you take your chance when it arrives then you could stay in the team. Phil Bardsley has done just that at right-back and Barnes could well do it at centre forward.

DISHING OUT THE CARDS

Martin Atkinson was certainly in the Christmas spirit at Old Trafford as he handed out cards to all and sundry.

Burnley collected seven bookings throughout the game, a tally that will earn them a Football Association fine.

It was a tense game that occasionally threatened to spill over, but there wasn’t a bad tackle all afternoon. Atkinson set the tone with bookings for Marcos Rojo and Barnes within five minutes and after that the cards just kept on coming.

There were yellows for Phil Bardsley and Jack Cork, which takes their tally this season to five, but they were will timed infringements with the cut-off period for a one-game suspension passing before Boxing Day.