Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford. The Clarets have lost some momentum over the last week, but they head into this match sitting seventh in the division - their highest top-flight position at this stage since 1973 - and are still very much in contention for a European spot come next May.

United also slipped up in their last match, being held to a 2-2 draw by Leicester City, and they are now effectively in a battle for second place with exactly half of the season left to play. The Red Devils were very consistent in the first quarter of the campaign, but they have been unable to sustain their form and rivals Manchester City look ready to run away with it in record-breaking fashion.

MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Jones, Rojo, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Mata, Ibrahimovic, Rashford; Lukaku

SUBS: Romero, Blind, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Herrera, Lingard, Mkhitaryan

Starting with a look at the home team, Jose Mourinho has handed starts to Luke Shaw and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for this afternoon's clash. Shaw has been given far more playing time in recent weeks, though still perhaps not as much as he would like, while Ibrahimovic - slowly starting to regain full match fitness after a long-term layoff - is used from the off in the Premier League for the first time this season.

Key midfield man Paul Pogba is also back involved at Old Trafford after returning from a three-match ban for the games away to Bristol City and Leicester City, with the Frenchman retaining the captain's armband. There is no Chris Smalling in the matchday squad, however, as he limped off late on in the 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium with a suspected groin strain which could keep him sidelined for a few matches.

That means a starting spot in the heart of defence for Marcos Rojo, who will partner Phil Jones this afternoon. Still no Antonio Valencia in the matchday squad, missing a third game in succession with a hamstring problem, so Ashley Young and Shaw will operate in the full-back positions. Marcus Rashford is given the nod ahead of Anthony Martial further up the field, meanwhile, with the Frenchman not involved at all today.

BURNLEY TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Pope; Bardsley, Long, Mee, Taylor; Arfield, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Gudmundsson; Barnes

SUBS: Lindegaard, Lowton, Marney, Vokes, Westwood, Walters, Wells

Switching attention to the visiting side, Sean Dyche has made just the one change on the back of his side's 3-0 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur a few days back. Dyche does not tend to make too many alterations to his starting lineup, though this one has possibly been enforced as Ashley Barnes is in for injury victim Chris Wood. The New Zealand international came out second best in a collision with Hugo Lloris and misses out on selection today.

Centre-back James Tarkowski continues to serve a ban, so Kevin Long is given another chance to shine alongside the reliable presence of Ben Mee, while Phil Bardsley - formerly of Man United - will operate down the right-hand flank and Charlie Taylor down the left. The other absentee is the experienced Stephen Ward, who had an outside chance of being used today after picking up an injury problem recently.

Matt Lowton returned from the bench against Spurs last time out following a spell on the sidelines, though he was an unused sub on that occasion and may also have a watching brief today. Joining him on the bench are Sam Vokes, Dean Marney, Jonathan Walters, Nakhi Wells and Ashley Westwood, while Anders Lindegaard - who spent five years at Old Trafford as a deputy - provides goalkeeping cover for Nick Pope.

After making four appearances from the bench in the Premier League this season, totalling less than an hour, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is thrown in from the start this afternoon. Jose Mourinho, who makes four changes from the 2-2 draw with Leicester City, may use the Swedish striker alongside Romelu Lukaku up top or instead deploy him in a slightly deeper attacking midfield position.

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United head into this match sitting second in the Premier League table on 42 points, leaving them 13 adrift of Manchester City - who travel to Newcastle United tomorrow night - and three ahead of Chelsea. It is the biggest-ever gap between the top two in English top-flight history at Christmas and means that we will have very little excitement in terms of the title race, barring the biggest collapse in memory.

The gap extended by two points in the last round of fixtures, as City beat Bournemouth comfortably at the Etihad Stadium and United were held to a 2-2 draw at Leicester. The Red Devils did well to recover from a goal down at the King Power Stadium and, with a one-goal advantage, they had numerous chances to kill off the match. A stressful conclusion to the match ensued, though, and almost inevitably the Foxes snatches a point right at the very death through Harry Maguire.

Mourinho had some scathing words for his players at full time a few days ago, describing their defending and finishing as "childish". Those comments have gone under the radar a little due to the quick turnaround in matches, but the Portuguese made it quite clear that he was furious with the manner in which his side squandered two points. The title race ended way before this weekend, however - it was arguably put to an end when City won 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier this month.

The hope for Mourinho now is that he can finish in second place, which is still a decent return, while also adding some silverware to the collection. The worst case scenario, on the flipside, is that the Red Devils are dragged into a battle to finish fourth as the season goes on, which as things stand does not look like being a problem. Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool are instead the sides fighting it out on that front.

If this is going to be a successful season then there is now added significance on the cup competitions. Retaining the EFL Cup would have been a start for the Red Devils, only for defeat at the hands of Championship side Bristol City to end those hopes last week. The FA Cup gets up and running early in the New Year, with another second-tier side in Derby County providing the third-round competition. A nice fixture, though not one United can afford to take too lightly.

The Champions League will also provide Mourinho with a good chance to turn what would be an average season into a good season, knowing that a place in the last eight is there for the taking if they can overcome Sevilla. Fatigue, as ever, will likely be a big factor by the time that double-header against the La Liga outfit comes around in February, particularly with a game every three days on average at this time of the year.

December really can be a slog, with Leicester City inflicting a major blow on United's title hopes three days ago, ahead of games in quick succession against Burnley and Southampton at Old Trafford. There is then a trip to a rejuvenated Everton on New Year's Day, at which point Mourinho will be praying Man City have finally started to drop some points. Not only do the Citizens need to lose five games between now and May, though - United have to pretty much win every last one of theirs.

DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United have won 19 of their 23 Boxing Day games in the Premier League, boasting a win ration of 83% - the best in the competition. The Red Devils are also unbeaten in 16 home matches on December 26 since going down 3-0 to Liverpool in 1978, winning 14 of those subsequent fixtures. In short, United do not tend to be in the mood for presenting gifts to opponents on this of all days.

Never mind Boxing Day - Old Trafford has become a fortress of sorts under Mourinho, with Man City the only team to leave here with victory in 42 attempts. Last season saw far too many draws, however, including most memorably of all against today's opponents, so turning one point into all three on home soil was always going to be a priority for Mourinho. The bad news for the Portuguese is that he has drawn both home games as a manager against Burnley - 0-0 with United and 1-1 when at Chelsea.

Following the 2-2 draw with Leicester City at the weekend, Manchester United now have 42 points from 19 games. As Jose Mourinho is right to point out, that is six more than they had at this point last season, though the gap on league leaders Chelsea was 13 points - the same as it currently is between themselves and 2017-18 pacesetters Manchester City.

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Burnley may have shipped three at home to Tottenham at the weekend, on the back of being held to a goalless draw by Brighton & Hove Albion, but the mood remains extremely positive around Turf Moor. No wonder - they sit seventh in the division and started the day two points off a European spot at the midway point. They have unquestionably been the division's surprise package and, with 19 games to go, require three more wins to essentially guarantee safety.

Expectation levels have changed over the last couple of months, of course, so simply avoiding the drop is no longer the target for the Clarets. Instead, Dyche will be hoping to come through this tough run of fixtures still within touching distance of the top six, with the most unlikeliest of pushes for a Europa League spot in the final few months of the campaign.

Burnley currently have nine points more than at the same stage last season, when they would go on to collect 17 more in the second half of the campaign to avoid the drop. Their momentum has been halted slightly in recent games, though, with one point from the last six, yet they could afford that blip - if you can even call it that - having earned back-to-back wins over Stoke City and Watford at Turf Moor immediately beforehand.

The Clarets will target more away points at Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town over the festive and New Year period, while anything today will surely be considered a bonus. Having taken on Tottenham at the weekend, Burnley also have Liverpool to come before January 2 - a tough run on the whole, which may well see the teams above them start to pull away slightly if all goes to form.

Seventh is Burnley's best position in the top flight at Christmas since 1973, when they went on to finish sixth - they will take that this time around if offered to them right now. A large part of their success has been the ability to bounce back from setbacks, having yet to suffer back-to-back losses all term. There is a serious risk of that happening today, though, as they went down to Spurs three days ago and now take on second-placed United.

More than that character, however, has been the defensive resilience shown. The Lancashire outfit may have conceded a few goals in their last match - as many as they had shipped in their previous nine at Turf Moor this term - but their overall record is still hugely impressive. Nine clean sheets have been kept in the Premier League, and they have conceded just one goal more than today's opponents home and away combined.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Manchester United are unbeaten in 13 Premier League games against Burnley at Old Trafford since a 5-2 loss here in September 1962, though the Clarets did pick up a point in the most recent fixture. The Red Devils dominated that match, getting in 38 shots in total - the highest tally in a single match in 2016-17 - but they just could not find a way through.

With kickoff at the Theatre of Dreams now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Jose Mourinho: "I cannot stop the game and give a team talk for the last two minutes. Some players have childish decisions and time helps them to have maturity and to decide better. But some other players stay with childish decisions until the end of their career."

Sean Dyche: "We know the run of games we've got - no problem with it, that's life in the Premier League. We've got some challenges at the moment with our squad for the first time in a long time. That's the way it goes. But where we were a year ago to where we are now, I'm very, very pleased ."

Burnley have won just one of their last 23 meetings with United at home and away, though they have earned nine draws in that time - including that goalless affair when they last faced off here. Do not expect a thriller at Old Trafford this afternoon, as just 31 goals have been scored in the 19 games involving the Clarets this term - the lowest figure in the Premier League.

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KICKOFF! Burnley, in their changed white strip, get us up and running at Old Trafford. It is worth mentioning that Tottenham Hotspur have already been in action today, thrashing Southampton 5-2 in the day's early kickoff.

YELLOW CARD! Two minutes on the clock and Martin Atkinson has already reached into his pocket to show Marcos Rojo a yellow card after he dragged Hendrick back. A slow start for the hosts, which their opponents may yet further punish.

Burnley have an early lead at Old Trafford through Ashley Barnes, who profited from some slack United defending. From the free kick given away by Rojo, Hendrick swung the ball in and Barnes was there to smash home from close range after the hosts failed to clear their lines.

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YELLOW CARD! There was a yellow card shown to Barnes for a nasty challenge on Paul Pogba soon after the goal. A stupid challenge from the goalscorer and he was rightly cautioned - not so sure Rojo deserved to see yellow early on, though.

It has been near enough all United since they fell behind, which was to be entirely expected. The Red Devils failed to get out of the blocks in the opening three or four minutes and they were punished for it by an up-for-it Burnley.

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United continue to dominate possession but they have yet to create a chance or get a shot away. Burnley have a stellar defensive record, now identical to the Red Devils', and they will likely now hold on to this one-goal advantage.

OFF THE BAR! From Burnley's second attack of the afternoon, they so nearly have a second goal. Bardsley sent in a decent delivery and Arfield helped it on with a side-footed finish, which beat De Gea but hit the top of the crossbar.

BLOCK! Near enough United's best opening of the match so far, as Mata picks up the ball inside the box but sees his shot well blocked by Mee. Young then sent in a whipped cross from the next move which evaded a stooping Lukaku.

SAVE! The Red Devils now starting to ask more questions of their opponents, as Shaw has a go from distance. Goalkeeper Nick Pope was happy to parry that one aside - the home side's first on-target attempt of the contest.

Pope was a tad fortunate from that first save of the game, parrying it into a dangerous position. Thankfully for him, one of his teammates was there to clear it away before a United player could bounce. Great tempo to the game so far.

Arfield sends Young crashing to the ground at the expense of a free kick, which the visitors are able to deal with. A few challenges coming in from the Clarets now, in fact, which is helping to break up the play somewhat at Old Trafford.

SAVE! Nick Pope is required to claw away Paul Pogba's headed attempt, which was heading for the back of the net. Burnley doing just about enough to keep their lead intact at the moment; United throwing all they have at them.

All very frantic at the back as far as Burnley are concerned at the moment, having to hold off an onslaught from United. In fairness, they are doing exactly that and still have a one-goal lead, given to them by Ashley Barnes just three minutes in.

Really good work from Lukaku down the right to get past two Burnley men and loft in a good cross, which Ibrahimovic misses via an overhead kick. A short break in play now which Dyche will be grateful for - his side holding on at the moment.

United's momentum has just halted somewhat over the last couple of minutes. No doubt that they are the team still in the ascendancy, but the Clarets looking a little more stable at the back now rather than being pulled across the field.

Good work from Pogba, who is able to carry the ball a good 40 yards before picking out Lukaku. The Belgian, the deeper of the two United striker at the moment, lays it off to Mata out wide but the cross is plucked out of the air by Pope.

YELLOW CARD! Full-back Charlie Taylor is penalised with a yellow card following a challenge on Mata. United go on to win a corner, which Pope was again there to collect under little pressure. Still 1-0 to the visitors.

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Young gets away with just a telling off following a strong challenge, rather than the game's fourth booking. The Red Devils struggling for momentum once again, as Steven Defour stands over the ball. Can expect him to shoot from this range.

Burnley writing another chapter in this magical season, as Steven Defour picks out the top corner from the free kick given away by Young. I said the Belgian would likely hit it from 30 yards out, and he did exactly that - De Gea not getting near it.

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OFF THE LINE! United could do with a goal before the interval after being left stunned by Burnley. Rashford nearly got it, cutting inside and getting a shot away that beat Nick Pope but not Ben Mee on the goal-line.

The home fans starting to get a little frustrated now, knowing that their side face a serious task scoring three times against this defensively strong Burnley side. The Clarets have certainly made the most of their openings in this first half.

SHOT! We have not seen a great deal of Ibrahimovic so far, but he creates some space and gets a shot away. Long recovered well and produced a big block, and the Clarets were able to successfully defend the corner. Pogba then curled one wide.

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Half time is now just moments away but there is no sign of a United goal. The Red Devils have created some half-decent openings, but they need to step things up in the second half if they are to take anything from this game.

Burnley ended the first half on top, winning a couple of corners which they could not make the most of. Not that it matters at this point - they take a two-goal lead into the interval and are on course for the rarest of victories at Old Trafford.

Burnley, in their highest Christmas-time position since 1973 heading into this fixture, had a lead to hold on to with just three minutes on the clock through a close-range finish from Ashley Barnes. Ashley Young gave away an early free kick which Jeff Hendrick swung in and, after the Red Devils failed to clear their lines, Barnes was there to profit as he turned it home.

From their second attacking move of the afternoon, the Clarets very nearly had a second goal as Scott Arfield helped on a Phil Bardsley cross, which looked to have the beating of David de Gea but not the crossbar. Either side of that chance, though, the home side were asking all the questions as Burnley - boasting the fourth-best defensive record in the division prior to today - continued to stand firm at the back.

Ben Mee produced a big block to prevent Juan Mata from scoring and goalkeeper Nick Pope was required to keep out Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba, the latter coming close through his headed attempt from a corner. United were left stunned soon after, however, as Steven Defour expertly sent a free kick flying past De Gea's reach from 30 yards to double his side's tally. In response, Pogba curled a shot wide and Marcus Rashford was denied on the line by Mee, as the Red Devils were left frustrated.

BENCH WATCH!

MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Romero, Blind, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Herrera, Lingard, Mkhitaryan

BURNLEY SUBS: Lindegaard, Lowton, Marney, Vokes, Westwood, Walters, Wells

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RESTART! We are back under way at Old Trafford, where Manchester United have made a couple of changes at the midway point. Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have replaced Marcos Rojo and the ineffective Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Matic may well be asked to slot in at centre-back now with Rojo making way. United have made a positive enough start to the second half, with Pogba just sending a shot over the crossbar from around 22 yards out. Big half ahead for the hosts.

OFF THE BAR! How on earth has this one stayed out?! Young with a peach of a ball from the right, which Lingard met from all of four yards out. It hit Pope's face and then the crossbar before being cleared away. incredible!

YELLOW CARD! Luke Shaw is cautioned for a challenge on Gudmundsson. A brief respite for the visitors, who have been hit by another onslaught since play resumed. Sean Dyche may well be tempted to make a change in the next few minutes.

Quite how Lingard did not score from that chance a few minutes ago I'm not sure, but he has opened his side's account from a far more difficult opening. The ball again came in from the right and he this time backheeled it into the bottom corner.

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Very much game on at Old Trafford, then, where United have the wind in their sails. Dyche screaming at his players to get up the pitch - they have been camped on the edge of their own box for the best part of 12 minutes now.

YELLOW CARD! Mkhitaryan, brought on at the interval, is the third United player to be cautioned for what appeared to be dissent towards the referee. The Red Devils appear to have a second goal in them the way they are going.

United continue to attack in search of a leveller. Burnley boss Dyche has held off making any changes for now, but he must surely be considering a change in personnel as we enter the final half an hour of the contest at Old Trafford.

YELLOW CARD! Johan Berg Gudmundsson is beaten for pace by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and left the referee with little choice but to caution him. The card count starting to rack up now, with United still in need of a second goal.

BURNLEY SUB! Dyche has decided to change things up a bit by bringing on Vokes for Defour, who scored the Clarets' second goal of the afternoon via a superb free kick. The visitors just need to take the sting out of the game.

Following a period of United dominance, in which they pulled one back through Lingard, Burnley have done well to restrict their opponents a little. No real chances of note since that smart finish from the Englishman 13 minutes ago.

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YELLOW CARD! Former United defender Phil Bardsley the latest player to be cautioned by Martin Atkinson. The Red Devils had the ball in the back of the net but the referee did not give them permission to take the free kick.

CLOSE! The free kick, from 25 yards out, is taken by United midfielder Paul Pogba. The ball was serving but ended over the crossbar. Nick Pope took a little too long from the resultant goal kick, earning a yellow card in the process.

Burnley with a chance to breath a little as they get forward and win a corner. Vokes on the field now, of course, so they will look to pick him out from crosses. This set piece is rather wasted, with United easily clearing it away.

Mourinho will likely make his third and final change shortly. The Portuguese saw his side completely dominate the opening 20 minutes or so of the second half, either side of a Lingard strike, but since then it has gone a little quiet.

Rashford goes for the spectacular and will be pleased to have won a corner from it - good spot by referee Martin Atkinson. Once again it is backs-to-the-wall stuff for Burnley, who are now 15 minutes away from another dream result.

Burnley would have taken a point from this trip to Old Trafford before the match, but it will feel more like a defeat if they were to concede a leveller in the remaining 13 minutes or so. No way through for Man United at the moment.

YELLOW CARD! Vokes is the latest player to be cautioned for dinking the ball over De Gea after being flagged for offside. Always harsh to see a player booked in that position, but he clearly knew played had stopped.

BURNLEY SUB! Ashley Barnes, the scorer of the opening goal, is replaced by forward Jonathan Walters with less than 10 minutes left. Burnley fans making plenty of noise now, sensing a magical result at the Theatre of Dreams.

In truth, United have not really done enough to warrant a second goal since pulling one back. They have seen three-quarters of the ball but have had two shots on target all half, one of which came prior to Lingard's smart finish.

Now just five minutes to go at Old Trafford and there is no change to the flow of the game; United asking all the questions but not really being able to trouble Pope. There tends to be one huge chance in games delicately poised like this one - will United take it?

Both managers still have one change available to make, which Dyche will surely make the most of to eat up another 30 seconds or so - even if it is added straight back on! United seriously lacking ideas in the final third of the field.

United unbeaten in 13 league games against Burnley here since 1962, so this really would be quite the result if the Clarets can hold on. A clash of heads between Bardsley and Rashford leaves the former in a heap on the ground, with treatment required.

Burnley defending very well still as we enter added time at Old Trafford. Referee Martin Atkinson has added on five minutes, so there is still more than enough time for United to find a second goal of the afternoon - and possibly a third.

Lingard is the hero for United, scoring his second goal since being introduced at the interval. Another good finish, too, as he sweeps the ball into the bottom corner after the ball deflected awkwardly off the leg of Ben Mee. Time for a winner?!

Manchester United recover from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 against Burnley at Old Trafford, courtesy of substitute Jesse Lingard's second-half brace. An early strike from Ashley Barnes was added to by Steven Defour, who curled home a sublime free kick to put the Clarets on course for a rare win at this ground. Lingard was brought off the bench to rescue a point for his side, however, scoring the first with a backheeled finish and the second late in the match via a shot into the bottom corner.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the Theatre of Dreams. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the late kickoff between Liverpool and Swansea City at Anfield can be found here. Thanks for joining!