Aston Villa 1, Manchester United 3
Second half goals by Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, and Edinson Cavani propelled Manchester United to victory at Aston Villa.
Embed from Getty ImagesFernandes showed Sergio Aguero how to take a penalty while Greenwood became United’s highest ever scoring teenager in the Premier League and Cavani equalled United’s record of goals by substitutes in a season on their second game of four in a week.
A first half goal by Bertrand Traore had set Villa on their way but United came back for the tenth time this season after going behind to deny City their title today and put themselves on the brink of qualifying for Champions football next season.
The result meant that the Reds had been unbeaten for a 25th successive Premier away game having won a record ten games after conceding first this season.
And Manchester City will have to wait longer to be crowned Champions as United put themselves just a point away from confirming Champions League football for next season.
Injury to Harry Maguire – he failed to finish a Premier League game after 72 appearances in the competition for the club – was the only blot on the United copybook as Villa ended the game with 10 men after Oli Watkins was sent off for a second bookable offence while trying to dive to win a late penalty.
Reds boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dismissed the possibility, however slim, that United could pull off a miracle after City stuttered this week.
Pep Guardiola’s team only needs two points to clinch the title and defeat for United at home against Leicester City or Liverpool would hand City the title before they next played at Newcastle.
“It’s very unlikely they won’t get the points they need.” admitted Solskjaer, who added: “Tuesday [against Leicester] will be difficult and so will Thursday [against Liverpool].”
Solskjaer was more interested in securing a consecutive top four finish for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and he praised the emerging team spirit, adding:
“The players are learning and developing and getting better – you hear the spirit and camaraderie.
“The players back each other and we have a final to look forward to.”
But they might have to do it without their captain, after Harry Maguire limped off today following a challenge by Anwar El Ghazi – the injury could be a major blow for the rest of the season.
Solskjaer said: “Harry has been excellent, it’s almost unheard of the minutes he’s played without missing out.
“His fitness is very good but today the boy landed on top of him and twisted his ankle.
“I don’t know how bad it is – he might be available for Thursday or he might be ok on Tuesday.
“We will sit down on Tuesday afternoon and see who is ready. I might an an idea now but things might change by Tuesday.”
Solskjaer was fuming at the schedule which will see his team play four times in a week and made four changes from the side which was beaten in Rome.
Dean Henderson, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, and Marcs Rashford came into the side while David De Gea, Eric Bailly, Donny van de Beek, and Edinson Cavani stepped down as Solskjaer named the same XI that would have faced Liverpool last Sunday in their postponed game.
Villa were unchanged from their win at Everton as they sought their first consecutive win in the Premier League since Boxing Day.
United went close a couple of times in the early stages with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw balls into the box dealt with while Emiliano Martinez jumped on a Paul Pogba shot.
Bruno Fernandes also shot wide but United remained patient in probing for spaces in the enthusiastic Villa defence.
But it was Villa who struck first after Douglas Luiz found him n the edge of the area after John McGinn had won the ball. Bertrand Traore strode into the area past Lindelof an unleashed a fierce shot from wide on the left which beat Henderson.
Rashford cut the ball back from the touchline as United tried to get a quick equaliser but the Reds lacked the movement to fox the Villans who gave Emi Martinez plenty of protection as Rashford and Fernandes failed to test him and Ezri Konsa cleared a rebound off the line before Pogba could pounce.
Ole Watkins forced a full stretch save from Henderson just before the break while Pogba saw his shot deflected wide after half time and Anwar El Ghazi’s shot was saved by Henderson.
Pogba won a penalty after 51 minutes when he drew the challenge from Luiz and gratefully went down.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up an, unlike Sergio Aguero yesterday slotted his spot kick past Martinez to the right after sending him the wrong way – his 27th goal of the season and 17th in the Premier League.
Four minutes later Mason Greenwood put United into the lead after he turned Tyrone Mings and drilled the ball inside the near post to become the Reds’ highest scoring teenager with 16 – one more than Wayne Rooney.
Konsa and Rashford clashed in the Villa area and were lectured for their troubles.
Pogba cleared from El Ghazi when Henderson was saved by Harry Maguire after Traore tried to get on the end of a Matt Targett cross.
There was a VAR check for a suspected handball by Greenwood which came to nothing before Rashford saw a shot deflected wide for a corner.
Cavani replaced the teenage striker after 65 minutes while Douglas Luiz was replaced by Jacob Ramsey.
And his first action was to head the ball away from El Ghazi after Oli Watkins headed Targett’s cross back into the area.
Ross Barkley wasted a free kick routine for Villa after Harry Maguire had gone down after a challenge with El Ghazi and the United captain, who had played every minute of the Reds’ Premier League campaign had to come off.
Wesley replaced El Ghazi while Keinan Davis replaced Barkley and Eric Bailly replaced Maguire with 12 minutes to go.
Davis and Traore wasted chances to test Henderson and Targett saw a shot blocked as Villa improved after the changes.
With United flagging, Nemanja Matic was brought on to replace an unhappy Fernandes with 4 minutes to go.
Cavani and Shaw saw efforts blocked before United pressure finally told a minute later when Rashford’s cross was glanced home by the constantly moving Uruguayan for his 8th goal in his last 7 games and 15 for the season in all.
The master marksman also equalised the United record of Premier League goals scored as a substitute in a season – equalling records by Chicharito (in 2010/11) and Solskjaer (in 1998/99).
And all hope was lost for Villa shortly afterwards as Watkins was booked a second time for a dive and received his marching orders with a minute to go after Henderson moved out of the way with the Villa striker looking for a penalty.
GOALS – Aston Villa 1, Manchester United 3
Aston Villa 1, Man Utd 0: 24. Bertrand Traore was slipped through by Douglas Luiz, and he beat Victor Lindelof before firing in a fierce shot from wide on the left which went past Dean Henderson.
Aston Villa 1, Man Utd 1: 52. Bruno Fernandes didn’t mess around with his penalty, he stabbed it home to the right after sending Emiliano Martinez the wrong way after Paul Pogba had been brought down by Douglas Luiz.
Aston Villa 1, Man Utd 2: 56. Mason Greenwood created space for himself by turning past Tyrone Mings before slotting the ball past Emiliano Martinez at the near post.
Aston Villa 1, Man Utd 3: 87. Edinson Cavani’s movement created the space for him to convert Marcus Rashford’s cross with a glancing header that went in past Emiliano Martinez
MATCH STATS – Aston Villa 1, Manchester United 3
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz (Ramsey 65), McGinn., Traore, Barkley (Davis 78), El Ghazi (Wesley 78), Watkins
Aston Villa subs not used: Heaton, Nakamba, El Mohamedy, Hause, Philogene-Bidace, Chukwuemeka
Bookings: Watkins 45+1 (foul on Harry Maguire); McGinn 79 (foul on Luke Shaw)
Red Card: Watkins 89 (second booking for diving)
Goal: Traore 24
Man Utd: Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire (Baily 78), Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Greenwood (Cavani 65), Fernandes (Matic 86), Pogba, Rashford
Man Utd subs not used: De Gea, Mata, Telles, Williams, van de Beek, Tuanzebe
Booking: Maguire 67 (foul on Oli Watkins)
Goals: Fernandes 52 pen; Greenwood 56, Cavani 87
Referee: Chris Kavanagh