Burnley manager Sean Dyche was in a philosophical mood after an incredible defensive display saw his side earn a point at Old Trafford. The boss was full of praise for his goalkeeper Tom Heaton after another inspiring performance and had a special word for his opposing manager Jose Mourinho.
"He continues to mature and work at his game"
Goalkeeper Heaton made a string of saves once again as he kept an attacking Manchester United spearheaded by Zlatan Ibrahimovic at bay. Dyche praised Heaton's spirit for his recent excellent form, "He is a very good goalkeeper and he continues to mature and work at his game and the biggest thing for me is he has that inner belief that goalkeepers need, that the ball is not going to go in the net."
Dyche was also proud of the entire squad and how they built upon a last minute winner against Everton last week. He suggested "psychologically you come off the back of a real fight last week and a late goal, then to come here and fashion out a point was really important". Dyche added: "I’m just really proud of the shape, the basics and doing all the ugly little things that count."
"The sending off was unlucky"
Despite the credible result, the Burnley manager still believes his side have a lot of work to do in order to match their ambitions. “There were many good things in the performance, but there’s still improvements to be made, particularly with the ball". However, he did admit "it is hard to come here [Old Trafford]".
Dyche also expressed sympathy towards United manager Jose Mourinho and midfielder Ander Herrera after both saw red. He explained "he [Mourinho] came in and congratulated us, so fair play and I think his questions are not with us, but the referee today". Adding to that Dyche suggested “the sending off was unlucky because I was here in the week and people were slipping on that surface. I couldn’t work out whether it was a slip or a late challenge". Either way, Dyche will not be losing any sleep over the result.