Jesse Lingard has rescued Manchester United from Boxing Day doldrums.
The Red Devils forward scored twice on Tuesday in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Burnley, despite not even starting the game. Having watched the first 45 minutes from the bench, Lingard turned the contest on its head by making an impact when manager Jose Mourinho called upon him as a halftime substitute.
Lingard needed just eight minutes to cut Burnley’s lead, doing so with this sensational back-heel goal in the 55th minute.
Here’s Lingard’s first goal from different angles.
But Burnley staved off waves of Manchester United attacks as the second half progressed and looked set to leave Old Trafford with all three points. That is until Lingard scored the tying goal in the first minute of stoppage time.
Lingard isn’t used to scoring from the bench, nor is Manchester United accustomed to substitutes making such meaningful contributions.
Lingard, 25, probably would rather be starting every game, but Mourinho has managed to improve his goal production form by using him sparingly.
These numbers represent Lingard’s best-ever goals return, and the season just passed the halfway point.
