United's Ibrahimovic-Lukaku front line fails to impress
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku started together up front for Manchester United in the 2-2 draw with Burnley on Boxing Day, but it is fair to say that it was an experiment that failed.
If this game was anything to go by, the United fans in attendance on Tuesday should take a mental photo of what they saw, as it could be some time before they see it again.
Ibrahimovic lined up alongside usual starter Lukaku in the United attack, with the Swede tasked with playing in behind the powerful Belgian.
There was a theory that after United's profligacy against Leicester last time out, boss Jose Mourinho was keen to get more strikers on the pitch, but he soon realised the error of his ways, ending his experiement after just 45 minutes as Ibrahimovic was hooked.
The pair laboured in the first half, running into each other's spaces and failing to get himself into goalscoring positions when the chance presented itself.
The veteran striker looked lost in the number 10 role, dropping far too deep in search of the ball and failing to provide any real outlet.
Forays forward were met with limp attempted through balls and an inability to contribute to swift counter-attacks.
Mourinho already attempted to justify his decision to partner the pair in his pre-match press conference, saying: 'There are spaces where a No 10 plays, and where Ibrahimovic - even when he was No 9 - spaces where he feels comfortable to play.'
Nevertheless, depsite his penchant for controversy, he would be hard pressed to argue that his experiment was a success.
The fact that United's attacking play improved significanly in the second half when Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were introduced will hardly have helped Ibrahimovic's case for more starts and despite Lukaku's fluctuation form, he looks likely to remain first choice for the forseeable future.