The danger with hiring the Portuguese, it was said, is he becomes the story at the expense of your club. That is what seems to be happening at Old Trafford

There is no Premier League rule that forbids managers dismissed from the dugout coming to speak about their treatment afterwards – when Arsène Wenger was so photogenically sent to the Old Trafford stands seven years ago he still made it to the press room at the end of the game – so José Mourinho opting to send his assistant, Rui Faria, in his place suggests the Manchester United manager was probably wary of making a bad situation worse.

It is possible that at some point in the immediate aftermath of the goalless draw against Burnley Mourinho got the chance to have another look at the penalty claim that was apparently the cause of his strop. He would have seen Matteo Darmian go to ground dramatically under very slight contact from Jon Flanagan, and he might also have noted that if a foul did take place it was initiated outside the box. In other words, Mark Clattenburg’s decision was justified and Mourinho might have felt a bit foolish having to explain why he had reacted so angrily.

José Mourinho sent to stands as Manchester United are held by Burnley Read more

Mourinho is already facing a separate FA charge of discussing the referee Anthony Taylor’s performance before the Liverpool game – Monday is the deadline for an official response – and in addition to his admittedly lighthearted remarks about the difficulties of being holed up in a Manchester hotel it might have occurred to him that just three months into his new job he is doing exactly what his detractors said he would. The danger with hiring Mourinho, it was frequently said, is that he becomes the story at the expense of your club. That is precisely what seems to be happening at Old Trafford.

Mourinho being on his best behaviour did not even make it to Bonfire Night. Details are sketchy about what took place in the tunnel at half-time, but if the authorities take a dim view of what Clattenburg describes in his report Mourinho could be facing another charge and a possible stadium ban before he has even finished with the earlier one. All for the sake of a routine refereeing decision that the official probably got right. Darmian himself offered no argument when Clattenburg ignored his appeal, so it was bizarre to see his manager lose the plot so completely.

Perhaps Mourinho was reluctant to confront the task that Faria found so difficult, explaining why United failed to score with a wealth of possession and no fewer than 37 attempts on goal. Tom Heaton was one reason; the goalkeeper made a string of excellent saves, none better than the second-half star jump to keep out a Zlatan Ibrahimovic volley that put everyone in mind of Peter Schmeichel. The United striker was not at fault on that occasion, he put so much power into a well-directed shot that Heaton thought he might have broken his arm.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest José Mourinho watches on from the stands. Photograph: Magi Haroun/Rex/Shutterstock

Yet the more prosaic truth is that the Swede missed easier opportunities to score in both halves, and when Paul Pogba conjured the sort of last-minute opportunity the old Manchester United would have grasped with both hands Ibrahimovic tamely missed the target with a free shot from six yards. Wayne Rooney could do no better either with the last chance of the game in stoppage time. Daley Blind’s cleverly disguised free-kick gave him a clear sight of goal from inside the penalty area, but Rooney wafted his shot over the bar without even obliging Heaton to make another save.

It was that sort of day for United, who were a little unlucky to lose Ander Herrera for a second yellow in the second half. He was initially booked for a first-half challenge on Dean Marney and the referee appeared to have little choice when Herrera upended the same player with 20 minutes left, although there was little malice in the second incident. “I thought that was hard on the player and the referee,” the Burnley manager, Sean Dyche, said. “Herrera seemed to slip just as he was making the tackle.”

Dyche agreed with Faria that Heaton, a former United trainee, had been the afternoon’s stand-out performer – Mourinho’s touchline tantrums excepted – and went on to suggest that because the biggest clubs sweep up so much of the available young talent there is a secondary market for clubs like Burnley to make something of the players they eventually reject. Burnley appear to be doing very well from the business. Michael Keane, resolute in defence all afternoon, also fell through United’s net and Kieran Trippier, sold to Tottenham last season, did the same at Manchester City.

This was Burnley’s first away point of the season and, with 11 points from 10 games, they look a more solid mid-table proposition this time round. They are, in fact, only four points behind United, who also look destined for mid-table. The difference is that Mourinho is not working with cast-offs. After his lavish spending in the summer he has some explaining to do, and not just about his latest dismissal.