Jonny Evans first started for Manchester United at Turf Moor as a 21-year-old in Burnley's first-ever Premier League win. It remains their last on home turf against United.
If the presence of Evans in an unpredictable United XI was portentous, he did his utmost to avoid a humbling akin to 2009. He had a goal disallowed and created Bruno Fernandes' winner just as the fourth official had taken his seat after signalling added time for the first half.
Evans, now 35, has always been a better footballer than a defender and he was once entrusted with left-back duties in a cup final by Sir Alex Ferguson. It was Evans' left foot that picked out Fernandes with an airborne pass that flew at least 30 yards.
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For the first time in his career, Evans was serenaded by United fans, inheriting Gary Neville's chant: "Jonny Evans is a red, he hates Scousers." He ended the night waving to the song like a rock star leaving the stage.
This was the transcendent Evans' third United start at Turf Moor under three managers 14 years apart. Though denied a first United goal in almost a decade, his selection in their XI for the first time since March 2015 was the fuzzy feel-good story the club had been yearning for.
Any win would have sufficed to repair the cracked badge and United arrived at Burnley in challenging circumstances and with a team selection that was in danger of undermining the manager. In a must-win, United won.
Evans was not as contentious a recall as Scott McTominay, who literally failed to run against Bayern Munich 72 hours earlier. Promoting Hannibal Mejbri to the starting
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