Manchester United 1 Aston Villa 0
After thousands of Manchester United fans marched on Old Trafford demanding a “100 per cent sale” of the club, their players did the best kind of business on the pitch, ending Aston Villa’s 10-game unbeaten sequence, and tightening the hold on fourth place in the Champions League qualification chase.
If supporters are unhappy about Jim Ratcliffe’s bid to buy just over 50 per cent of United and him being open to one or more of the Glazer siblings retaining a stake, all Erik ten Hag can do is keep the team on the upward curve marked “improvement”.
This is precisely what the manager executed against a dangerous opponent who had been on the rise since Unai Emery became their No 1 in October, Bruno Fernandes’s first-half pivot and finish taking all three points.
Ten Hag, then, could be content at a day’s work that featured United pinging the ball about and around Villa at an express pace for most of an invigorating contest.
Marcus Rashford began with 19 goals at home and ended on the same count despite a series of chances that were initiated with a left-foot shot half-smothered by Emiliano Martínez’s backside.
Villa’s next escape occurred moments later in a frantic passage that featured Martínez rushing out, slipping, and clearing the ball only to Christian Eriksen who answered the home faithful’s cries of “shoot” with a miscued lob. Possession went to Marcel Sabitzer who could not finish, as he also could not when presented with a chance a little later.
This was all heartening for United and not to Emery’s liking, whose animated quasi-semaphore touchline act had him briefly taking a seat in disgust before he was up again to urge his players on.
Fernandes was next to threaten via a curving ball in from the right no team-mate was present to finish. But, then, Villa launched a raid and United were warned. Emiliano Buendía popped up in an inside-right position, slid the ball beyond David de Gea and as Ollie Watkins fell Diogo Dalot stuck a boot out. Up sprang De Gea in time to repel Álex Moreno’s piledriver and the home side breathed once more.
In an incident-packed spectacle Casemiro went the closest so far to an opener by crashing the ball off Martínez’s bar before Villa, in a foray, had the captain, John McGinn, primed to pull the trigger only for Tyrell Malacia’s challenge to thwart him.
Now, United did score what proved the winner. A high pass was flicked on and Rashford collected and shot across Martínez. The No 1′s save was limp, pushing the ball into Fernandes’s path. He twisted and forced it home courtesy of a Moreno deflection that inadvertently chipped the flailing Martínez.
After the VAR took a look and ruled Rashford had not been offside, Emery offered a petulant thumbs up to the assistant linesman which, comically, required several repeats as it kept going unseen.
The Spaniard knew his team remained firmly in the match, though. A McGinn free-kick routine that had the ball delivered across the United area was blocked by Luke Shaw, preferred as Victor Lindelöf’s centre back partner ahead of Harry Maguire, who was a substitute.
Eriksen’s radar has been awry recently following a prolonged layoff so a dink that bounced sweetly for Malacia to surge on to along the left was encouraging. The defender swept the ball towards the lurking Rashford and Tyrone Mings went close to back-heeling it into the centre-forward’s feet.
Rashford was soon dribbling through and Martínez had to dash out to stop him. Then, after a rare Villa attack teed Watkins up to shoot, Casemiro’s floated diagonal was miscontrolled by the United No 10.
Ten Hag would have been pleased with the dominance but not the wanting ruthlessness. Eriksen was a culprit: a move along the right was superseded by a cross that failed to find either Sabitzer or Rashford.
United’s profligacy meant Villa could still hope but McGinn had to do better with a 20-yard attempt he scuffed. Emery’s side pressed as the final whistle approached: a Mings’ header was kept out by a team-mate on United’s goal line – Ezri Konsa – and as the clock ticked towards time Antony might have doubled the lead but could only pea-roll an effort into Martínez’s hands. – Guardian
