Chapter 446: The League Title is Within Reach
With just a month left in the season, Manchester United still had many games to play. After only two days of rest, they faced a new match. On the evening of May 1st, United visited Turf Moor to take on Burnley.
Despite having to travel to Spain three days later to face Celta Vigo in the Europa League semi-finals, Mourinho fielded a strong squad against Burnley, aiming to secure three points and move closer to clinching the Premier League title. United needed just two more victories to claim the championship. Burnley, having already secured their place in the Premier League for next season, posed a lesser threat and seemed like an ideal opponent to face at this crucial stage.
From the start of the match, United took control, launching relentless attacks on Burnley's goal, with Bruno orchestrating their offense. Although Burnley had nothing to play for, they were not going to let United win easily. However, Burnley lacked the motivation to mount a serious challenge, given their secure league position.
Burnley, as a newly promoted team, had acquired several players from United in the previous summer transfer window, including goalkeeper Tom Heaton, center-back Michael Keane, and midfielder David Jones, all products of United's youth academy.
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Burnley aimed to capitalize on United's busy schedule. Since their match against West Brom on April 1st, this was United's 10th game in a month, averaging one game every three days. Despite Mourinho rotating players, Bruno had played in nine of these ten high-intensity matches.
Many expected Bruno to show signs of fatigue after such a grueling schedule. However, once the match started, it was clear that Bruno was still full of energy, moving as fluidly as ever. His stamina and performance exceeded Burnley's expectations, allowing him more freedom on the pitch, which caused significant trouble for Burnley.
With Bruno driving United's attacks, they created numerous chances. By the 30th minute, United had nine shots on goal compared to Burnley's one, highlighting Burnley's inability to contain Bruno effectively.
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In the 39th minute, United finally broke the deadlock. Bruno initiated an attack from the back, and after three passes, the ball reached Rooney. The captain shot decisively, scoring against his former teammate Tom Heaton.
"Rooney! Manchester United takes the lead!" Gary Lineker exclaimed excitedly. "United's attack was well-organized. Look at this play: Bruno, Lingard, Rashford, and finally to Rooney, who finished it off. The transition from defense to attack, from the middle to the wing and back to the middle, was very clear."
Many commentators shared this view. While Rooney scored the goal, the attack was initiated by Bruno. He had been instrumental in most of United's attacking plays.
United's players knew this well. After scoring, Rooney first celebrated with Rashford but quickly signaled for Bruno to join them. Bruno and Lingard ran up, and the four embraced, celebrating together.
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After taking the lead, Burnley became a bit desperate. In the 41st and 44th minutes, their players received two yellow cards for aggressive tackles, showing signs of frustration. Fortunately for Burnley, the first half ended shortly after, allowing them to regroup during the break.
The halftime whistle was a reprieve for Burnley, giving them a chance to cool down and adjust their approach. However, this only delayed the inevitable.
In the 66th minute of the second half, Bruno received a pass from Herrera and scored to make it 2-0. This was Bruno's 36th league goal of the season, making him the leading scorer in the Premier League and the frontrunner for the European Golden Shoe.
With a two-goal lead, the match was effectively decided. Burnley had hoped to play the role of the spoiler, but the gap in quality and form was too great.
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Mourinho began making substitutions to preserve energy for the Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo. Although the Europa League was not essential for United's qualification for the Champions League, winning the title would still be a significant achievement, completing their collection of major European trophies.
Lingard was replaced by Gundogan in the 70th minute, and Bruno was substituted by Carrick in the 77th minute. United maintained their 2-0 lead until the final whistle.
With this victory, United's points total rose to 91, equalling their record for a 20-team Premier League season and just one point shy of their all-time record of 92 points set in the 1993-94 season.
Returning to Manchester, United quickly focused on preparing for the Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo. It was their first European semi-final in six years, since they defeated Schalke 04 6-1 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals but lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the final.
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This season, United had performed strongly across all competitions, winning the League Cup, reaching the FA Cup final, being on the brink of winning the Premier League, and remaining unbeaten in the Europa League en route to the semi-finals. Fans hoped the team could continue their form, defeat Celta Vigo, and win the Europa League.
Celta Vigo, currently tenth in La Liga, had not performed well in the league but excelled in European competitions. This was common for mid-table Spanish teams like Atlético Madrid and Sevilla, who often prioritized European competitions over domestic success.
For English teams, the Europa League often felt more like a burden. Many had exited the competition early, similar to United's previous campaigns in the 2011-12 and 2015-16 seasons.
Celta Vigo's top scorer, former Liverpool player Iago Aspas, had scored 23 goals this season and was a key player in their victory over Barcelona and their Copa del Rey win over Real Madrid. Facing United, Aspas would be highly motivated.
Mourinho knew not to underestimate Celta Vigo. They were a tough team, as Bruno had learned from extensive pre-match simulations. Winning away at Celta would be challenging.
(End of Chapter)
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