Dan Black's verdict as "Kompany's Kids" hold their own in Carabao Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is keen to manage expectations to ensure that his players don't embark on a flight of fancy.

It might be an opportunity for a section of the fanbase — albeit a minority — to do the same following the Clarets' exit from the Carabao Cup.

The criticism aimed at the performance of the Championship leaders against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening was unfathomable.

The visitors might have lost 2-0 at the birthplace of "Fergie's Fledglings", but "Kompany's Kids" more than held their own in large parts of the tie.

The Manchester City legend — who is currently midway through his first management post in England — had identified the fourth round fixture against Premier League opposition as a potential yardstick for his squad.

And, from where I was standing, in the press box situated in the Theatre of Dreams' South Stand, it looked as though there were plenty of reasons to be enthused and encouraged, with a top flight return on the cards.

"It could've gone one or two ways; either you put up a fight or you get completely steamrolled," acknowledged Kompany. "I'm not going to get overly excited by the performance, but when I look at [Ian] Maatsen, who is 20-years-old and did what he did here, there's Jordan Beyer who's 21, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, I could go through the squad.

"If they keep working with us, as they do every day, they've got to feel confident that one day they can step it up again."

Burnley might top the second tier, they might be averaging two goals-per-game and over two points-per-game, they might be eight points clear of third, but they were facing a raft of superstars, who were fifth in the Premier League and had lost just once in 12 games in all competitions.

The underdogs had absolutely no right to give their hosts a game at the iconic Stretford stadium, especially when Erik ten Haag went with a strong side, but they did.

Burnley were brave with the ball, sticking to their guns and playing out from the back in the face of United's press, and they were fearless without it, pressing hard and high to win possession in the home side's third.

Kompany said: "You can lose the narrative if you change too much but in this case we did what we do. We had less of the ball and a lot of emphasis was put on our possession and I don't think enough on our pressing.

"The amount of times we regained the ball against a team of that level high up the pitch at Old Trafford is something to build on. We are not fazed if we don't have the ball, we just don't want to get pinned."

While United were able to call on their wealth of attacking talent — which included goalscorers Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford, Portuguese international Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Antony and Anthony Elanga — the away side were without influential pair Anass Zaroury and Nathan Tella while leading scorer Jay Rodriguez was an unused substitute.

Both goals came from moments of individual brilliance, a sequence of real quality, where a sprinkling of gold dust turns a situation into 'something' from 'nothing'.

The Clarets had every man behind the ball when Fernandes had the ball at his feet 30 yards out; options were at a premium as Ashley Barnes, Josh Brownhill, Josh Cullen and Jack Cork formed the quadrant that prevented the former Sporting Lisbon man from travelling with the ball.

The 28-year-old, however, managed to pick out the one forward pass that was on for him, weighting it perfectly as it dropped over Johann Berg Gudmundsson and on to the outstretched boot of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Both Jordan Beyer and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were unable to retreat from the edge of the penalty area in time as Eriksen's anticipation gave him the advantage and the Dane made no mistake from close range. United are capable of doing that to any team in any competition.

"It is a cup game away at Old Trafford and one goal we conceded, we had 11 men back and he (Fernandes) finds a ball over the top and squares it," said Kompany.

"You see the pass from Bruno Fernandes which was perfect and they have these moments of quality. For us, it was a moment to get something out of the game and if it couldn't be the result then it could be the performance and there are definitely some positives to take away."

As far as the second goal is concerned, you can ask Connor Roberts just how good Rashford is. The striker, England's highest scorer at the World Cup in Qatar, despite his limited game time, was too hot for the Welshman to handle during their Group B clash at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

This time it was Beyer and Cullen on the wrong end of his excellence. Rashford, who scored twice against the Dragons, collected the ball in his own half, carried it unchallenged, squeezed in-between the Burnley pair and finished tidily into the far corner.

"We have a backline with early 20 year olds in there," recognised Kompany. "You have a player of quality there and you are not going to recover every ball. I think there is a positional mistake whereby we allow him the space to drive at us but after that you are in the hands of the quality of the player."

Bailey Peacock-Farrell denied Garnacho with his leg when the game was goal-less and made a fine save to prevent Rashford from extending United's lead at the end of the first half.

The Northern Ireland international also got down to the foot of his post to keep out substitute Antony's effort in the second half, but it was by no means one way traffic.

Ashley Barnes glanced a header wide of the far post as the striker was presented with the first opening of the game from Gudmundsson's delivery.

Manuel Benson, who certainly looked the part from the half-hour onwards, fired into the side-netting after chopping one way, and then the other, to get alongside Victor Lindelof.

The ex-Royal Antwerp winger, who scored twice in the 2-1 win against Middlesbrough at Turf Moor at the weekend, then forced Martin Dubravka into a flying save with an attempt from outside the box, having side-stepped Eriksen.

Casemiro then cleared the ball off his line as United's Slovakian stopper and Rashford had somehow conspired to cause chaos inside their own penalty area from Gudmundsson's cross.

Burnley continued courageously after the break, even after falling two goals behind. Gudmundsson, who has amassed the most successful crosses per 90 for Burnley this season, picked out a peach of a pass for Darko Churlinov, who stabbed his effort wide after stealing a yard or two on Wan-Bissaka.

Barnes lifted the ball over the crossbar when in space after Casemiro had got in the way of another Churlinov attempt, before the East Lancashire derby hero turned the ball wide after Gudmundsson profited from Casemiro's error.

Kompany concluded: "It was a good, honest, brave performance filled with energy and you look back at the chances we had so it makes it feel like just connecting with one could give you something maybe.

"I didn't want us to roll over because we came to Old Trafford and I don't think we did that at any stage but it was a tough game.

"I think the biggest thing for them is that when you're doing well in one division, which we're doing now in the Championship, there's always that question of whether you'd do as well against a Premier League team.

"Even when you're in the Premier League it is then 'would you do it against a top Premier League team?' United won, and that's fine, but it gives you that feeling that we've got something to work towards."

While Burnley lost out by a couple of goals against United on Sir Matt Busby Way, neighbours Blackburn Rovers, third in the Championship, were humbled at home to Nottingham Forest, 18th in the PL, in the round of 16. Just a little bit of perspective to re-dress the balance.

Merry Christmas Clarets!