Man Utd 3 Aston Villa 2
The Red Devils welcomed Aston Villa to Old Trafford for their first game since it was announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had bought a 25% stake in the club. Unai Emery’s side had the chance to go second in the Premier League table with victory.
United started the game in positive fashion as a Diogo Dalot cross was half-cleared and Christian Eriksen fired in a shot from the edge of the box. It was an easy save for Martinez in the visitors’ goal but showed Erik ten Hag’s side were keen to put their four goalless games behind them.
Fernandes then fouled Dendoncker and was fortunate not to receive a card for his high foot. As McGinn lined up the set piece, Bailey stood on the Man Utd goal line, behind keeper Andre Onana. As the Villa midfielder whipped a cross in, it beat everyone, including United’s hapless stopper.
There have been a lot of questions asked about the money the club spent on David De Gea’s replacement and this answered none of them as he failed to react to the ball bouncing in front of him before it ended in the back of the net.
Credit: @AVFCOfficial
Bruno Fernandes led the surrounding of the referee and moaning about Bailey’s antics but it just shows how desperate this club are to blame anyone but their own performances for the situation they find themselves in. Glazers out banners began to be unfurled.
Aston Villa then had a corner and as the ball drifted to the back post, Lenglet headed it back into the middle, where Dendoncker flicked a boot at it and doubled their lead. Raphael Varane looked an assured world class defender at Real Madrid, since moving to Manchester he looks like he’d struggle to get bar work in the Spanish capital.
Ten Hag looked like a condemned man on the touchline but his side tried to get a goal that would see them get back into this game. Fernandes found Rashford, who got a shot off at goal, but it was an easy save for Martinez.
The Man Utd skipper then found Hojlund in the box but as he tried to sort his feet out, he seemed to have no hunger to shoot at goal, as he laid it off to Rashford. His shot was palmed away by Martinez but we expect far better from the Red Devils’ strikers.
Villa failed to come out in the second half and some crisp passing by the hosts saw Rashford slot Garnacho in. He calmly took the ball around Martinez before finding the back of the net, but the celebrations were short-lived as he was adjudged to be offside by a VAR review.
Fernandes was pulling the strings for ten Hag’s side in the middle of the park and he played a ball in behind the Villa defence but Martinez was quick off his line and got there fractionally before Rashford to clear the ball outside the box.
Credit: @ManUtd
The Man Utd forward was soon to lay it on a plate for Garnacho at the back post, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net to ignite the Old Trafford crowd. Denied earlier in the game, no VAR review would take this one from him.
This season, United’s defence has employed the same policy as most nightclubs on a Saturday night. Straight after scoring, they let another one in but on this occasion Onana made a smart save to deny Bailey restoring their two goal lead.
Then came the game-changing moment as Aston Villa failed to deal with a cross into the box and Garnacho scored his second, with the aid of a massive deflection. The stadium erupted as they felt a massive comeback was on the cards.
McGinn almost restored the lead for the visitors but as he pulled the trigger in the box, veteran defender Jonny Evans, made a goal-saving block to deny him. Suddenly things were starting to look up for Man Utd in a season all wanted to forget so far.
Unai Emery’s side were the architects of their own downfall as they gave the ball away in the final third and Lenglet conceded a corner. As the visitors failed to clear once again, the miracle all had been waiting for happened.
Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal for the club. It had taken over a thousand minutes but his quick reaction saw his shot clip off the inside of the post and give Erik ten Hag’s side the lead with less than ten minutes of the game remaining.
It will be one of those ‘where were you when?’ moments. Like the death of Princess Diana, the assassination of JFK or the World Trade Centre attacks. People will ask what you were doing when United’s £64m striker finally found the back of the net.
The Red Devils held on for all three points and Unai Emery continues to search for his first win as a manager at Old Trafford. This result will paper over the cracks for Man Utd but there is plenty of work ahead before they can safely say things are back on track. Nevertheless it was a great comeback from two-nil down at halftime.
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