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Key Events

90' + 5'
T. Malacia
Yellow Card
87'
Fred
Yellow Card
86'
H. Maguire
M. Sabitzer
86'
A. Martial
M. Rashford
39'
Bruno Fernandes
Goal
1 - 0
4
2
4
0
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Match Stats

Possession
57% 42%
6
2
Shots Off Target
Shots On Target 6 1
Total Passes 511 370
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Live table
Pos Team P W D L F A +/- PTS Form
1 Manchester City MCI Manchester City 38 28 5 5 94 33 +61 89 L D W W W
2 Arsenal ARS Arsenal 38 26 6 6 88 43 +45 84 W L L W W
3 Manchester United MUN Manchester United 38 23 6 9 58 43 +15 75 W W W W L
4 Newcastle United NEW Newcastle United 38 19 14 5 68 33 +35 71 D D W D L
5 Liverpool LIV Liverpool 38 19 10 9 75 47 +28 67 D D W W W
6 Brighton & Hove Albion BHA Brighton & Hove Albion 38 18 8 12 72 53 +19 62 L D W L W
7 Aston Villa AVL Aston Villa 38 18 7 13 51 46 +5 61 W D W L L
8 Tottenham Hotspur TOT Tottenham Hotspur 38 18 6 14 70 63 +7 60 W L L W L
9 Brentford BRE Brentford 38 15 14 9 58 46 +12 59 W W W L W
10 Fulham FUL Fulham 38 15 7 16 55 53 +2 52 L D W W L
11 Crystal Palace CRY Crystal Palace 38 11 12 15 40 49 -9 45 D D W L W
12 Chelsea CHE Chelsea 38 11 11 16 38 47 -9 44 D L L D W
13 Wolverhampton Wanderers WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers 38 11 8 19 31 58 -27 41 L D L W L
14 West Ham United WHU West Ham United 38 11 7 20 42 55 -13 40 L W L W L
15 AFC Bournemouth BOU AFC Bournemouth 38 11 6 21 37 71 -34 39 L L L L W
16 Nottingham Forest NFO Nottingham Forest 38 9 11 18 38 68 -30 38 D W D W L
17 Everton EVE Everton 38 8 12 18 34 57 -23 36 W D L W D
18 Leicester City LEI Leicester City 38 9 7 22 51 68 -17 34 W D L L D
19 Leeds United LEE Leeds United 38 7 10 21 48 78 -30 31 L L D L L
20 Southampton SOU Southampton 38 6 7 25 36 73 -37 25 D L L L L

Key

UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Conference League Qualifiers
Relegation

Commentary

That's all for today, goodbye.
United will be disappointed that Southampton were not able to hold onto their narrow lead over Newcastle, with the Red Devils sitting just behind Eddie Howe's men. Next up, they head to a Brighton, with Roberto De Zerbi's men coming off the back of an emphatic 6-0 win over Wolves. As for Villa, their unbeaten streak comes to an end. They will only remain in sixth position if Tottenham beat Liverpool later today. They are also on the road for their upcoming game, facing a short trip to Wolves.
United stay within two points of third place Newcastle after a narrow victory over Villa. The away side threatened to score the opener when Moreno blasted an effort towards the goal from close range, but De Gea was there to make the save. Casemiro then crashed the bar before Fernandes broke the deadlock. Rashford rushed onto a header over the top of the Villa defence by Casemiro, but his attempt was pushed away. However, Fernandes was there to score the rebound. Villa had several opportunities to level after the break. Luiz got on the end of a poor clearance from Sabitzer, having his first shot inside the box blocked before seeing his second attempt cleared off the line by Lindelof. Konsa also got in the way of a Mings header and Chambers' last-minute strike was stopped by Martial.
90' + 7' FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 ASTON VILLA
90' + 6' Luiz's cross is cleared away by Lindelof, but only as far as Chambers. His powerful effort is blocked by Martial, with the referee blowing the final whistle before McGinn has a chance with the rebound. For what it is worth, he still had a shot, but it went over the bar.
T. Malacia
Yellow Card
Manchester United
90' + 5' Malacia is shown a yellow card for a tactical foul on Traore. It is on the edge of United's box.
90' + 3' United have a chance to find a certain winner. Fred has the ball and plays a pass into the feet of Martial just outside the box. He has a chance to shoot, but allows the ball to continue moving from right to left, finding Antony inside the box. His first touch is poor, with his attempt rolling straight to Martinez.
90' + 2' Traore lifts the ball to McGinn who is positioned just outside the United box. He sets it back for Digne to put a cross in, but the left-back has his attempt blocked out for a throw-in. Villa cannot find a way past the United defence.
90' + 1' There will be four minutes of additional time.
89' Both teams look tired and are starting to play loose passes. Chambers throws the ball straight to Fred. The midfielder looks to start an attack and plays a pass to Fernandes, but he cannot keep the ball and gives it straight back to Villa.
Fred
Yellow Card
Manchester United
87' Fred is shown the first yellow card of the game after wasting time.
A. Martial
M. Rashford
Manchester United
86' Rashford has been involved in every United attack but is now coming off. Martial takes his place.
H. Maguire
M. Sabitzer
Manchester United
86' United are looking to preserve their clean sheet and three points by bringing on another defender. Maguire is on for Sabitzer.
84' McGinn runs over the ball with Luiz bending a cross into the box. Villa players are challenging for it, but Lindelof heads it behind for a corner.
83' Villa are putting on the pressure and win a free-kick after Fred brings down McGinn.
81' OFF THE LINE! Watkins has the ball on the left and dribbles past Lindelof before pulling a cross into the middle of the box. Sabitzer is there but can only clear it to Luiz. His first shot is blocked, with his second cleared off the line by the head of Lindelof. It was travelling towards the top corner.
79' Fred makes an immediate impact, threading a pass down the right. Fernandes is there and gets to the byline before releasing a cross, but Martinez gets down to push it away from Rashford.
Antony
J. Sancho
Manchester United
76' Sancho has constantly threatened Villa's defence with his direct dribbling and pace. However, he is now on his way off the pitch. Antony is given a chance to make an impression with 14 minutes left.
Fred
C. Eriksen
Manchester United
76' United make their first substitution of the game. Eriksen has been quiet in this game and is now coming off. Fred replaces him in the middle of the pitch.
J. Durán
E. Buendía
Aston Villa
76' The away side make their fourth change of the game. Duran is on with Buendia given a rest.
L. Digne
Álex Moreno
Aston Villa
75' Moreno has been one of Villa's best players this game but is now coming off after an exhausting 75 minutes. Digne is on at left-back.
73' Rashford is down and needs medical assistance after going down in the box under pressure from Chambers. United are able to keep the ball, but Casemiro's left-footed attempt goes wide. Rashford wants a penalty, but nothing is given. He will be able to continue.
71' Rashford gets onto a long ball forward and looks to roll past Konsa inside the box, but the Villa defender protects it, allowing Martinez to come out and collect.
70' Traore has the ball on the right and looks to curl a pass towards Buendía, but Shaw gets across to clear it away. The former Southampton man has been immense next to Lindelof in this game.
68' Ramsey moves inside from the left and plays a pass into the feet of Buendia. The Argentine looks to slip a pass forward, but Dalot intercepts it. The ball then goes out to McGinn outside the box who takes it away from the foot of Luiz before driving a low shot wide of the post.
67' Casemiro gets the ball on the edge of the box and tries his luck from a distance, but his attempt hits the foot of a Villa defender and goes straight at Martinez.
66' Villa have lost just one of their nine Premier League away games under Unai Emery (winning six, drawing two), with that loss coming at Manchester City in February (1-3).
B. Traoré
L. Dendoncker
Aston Villa
64' Villa make their second change, adding another attacker to the mix. Traore replaces Dendoncker.
C. Chambers
A. Young
Aston Villa
64' Villa make their first change of the game. Sancho has had the beating of Young, with the Villa man now coming off. Chambers is on in his place.
64' Poor from Eriksen. Sancho is released down the right and sends a pass into the feet of Eriksen who gets beyond him. He has two options to his left but sends a low cross straight at Mings.
62' Casemiro sends the ball over the top of the Villa defence and towards Rashford who makes his way into the box, but Martinez is there to claim. It was just too far ahead of the United striker.
60' Watkins has the ball just outside the United box and flicks it back into the path of Ramsey. He brushes off the challenge of Sabitzer and pushes the ball past Shaw before having his shot deflected over by Lindelof.
58' Dalot has the ball on the right and plays a pass across to Rashford. The forward is just outside the box and dribbles through two defenders before getting inside the box. However, the ball gets away from him, with Martinez collecting it.
56' Sancho is released in behind the Villa defence on the left side of the box. He shapes to shoot, but cannot find the yard of space that he wants and the chance is gone.
54' Malacia whips a dangerous cross into the middle of the box with Mings turning it away from Rashford. It was not a conventional clearance, with the ball hitting both of his feet and rolling back to Martinez. Rashford then hits the deck. He cannot believe that the ball did not drop to him.
53' Shaw curls the free-kick from right to left with Lindelof getting into space inside the box, but the centre-back sends his shot wide of the post.
52' Luiz steps on the back of Fernandes' foot and gives away a free-kick just inside the Villa half. Shaw chips it down the right with Fernandes rushing forward, but he is told to take it again.
50' McGinn has a free-kick on the byline and sends a low pass to the edge of the box with Luiz waiting. He rushes onto the ball and sends a shot towards the goal, but it is blocked by Shaw.
49' United are unbeaten in their last 132 English Premier League matches when leading at half-time (winning 113, drawing 19) dating back to 21st September 2014 against Leicester City (L3-5).
47' Young gets the ball on the right and curls a superb cross into the box. Wakins is free in the middle and looks like he has a simple finish, but Lindelof heads it away. He gets the smallest touch on the ball, but it is enough to take it away from the striker.
46' Villa get the ball rolling again. United will move up to third in the Premier League if they secure all three points and Southampton retain their lead against Newcastle.
United have been the better team so far and should have scored more in the first 45 minutes. Sancho and Fernandes have stretched the pitch, with Young struggling to deal with the pace and close control of Sancho. Rashford has also been outstanding and has made the most of Villa holding a high line. He has been able to break through the middle of the pitch by sitting on the last defender, with United's first goal coming from his quick thinking. As for Villa, they have had moments of promise but have not seriously challenged De Gea. They have been too slow in possession and must break forward faster if they want to catch the United defence cold. Buendia has been good at linking the attack but has not got on the ball enough.
United have the lead at the break after a goal from Fernandes. Casemiro created the chance, heading the ball over the top of the Villa defence and straight to Rashford, with the England international bursting towards the goal. His low shot was pushed away by Martinez, with Fernandes scoring the rebound. Rashford had their first chance of the game but curled his attempt wide of the post before the flag went up for offside. Sancho then drove inside from the left before finding Casemiro in the middle of the box, but he was denied the opener by the crossbar. Villa's best opportunity of the half came through Moreno. He collected the ball after Watkins was unable to turn in Buendia's cross, lashing his attempt straight at De Gea.
45' + 2' HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 ASTON VILLA
45' + 2' SAVE! Young takes the ball off Eriksen inside the Villa box but sends his clearance straight to Fernandes. He chests it down before unleashing a shot from the edge of the box, but Martinez makes a diving save.
45' + 1' There will be two minutes of additional time.
44' Sancho has been lively in the first 45 minutes. He bursts down the left and powers a low cross into the six-yard box. Sabitzer is there but cannot turn the ball into the back of the net.
43' Villa look for a quick response. Luiz has the ball in the middle of the pitch and sends a pass down the left to Moreno. The left-back pushes it past Dalot who slides in but sends the ball out for a goal-kick.
41' United have avoided defeat in their last seven matches when scoring the opening goal in the Premier League dating back to 22nd January 2023 against Arsenal (L2-3).
Bruno Fernandes
Goal
Manchester United
39' GOALLLL! FERNANDES SCORES! 1-0 UNITED! The home side have been the better team and now have the lead. Casemiro's header allows Rashford to get behind the Villa defence and race down the left side before curling a low shot towards the goal. His tame attempt is pushed away by Martinez, but Fernandes is there to crash in the rebound. There is a VAR check for a possible offside against Rashford, but the goal is given.
37' Watkins gets between Eriksen and Malacia to attempt an overhead kick from inside the box, but his attempt goes well over the bar.
36' What a tackle! Buendia races forward with the ball and slides a throughball into the path of McGinn who gets down the left side of the box. He has a chance to shoot, but Malacia spots the danger and gets across to make a slide tackle.
34' PENALTY SHOUT! Sabitzer has the ball on the left and plays a disguised pass into the box. The ball bounces against the ground before hitting the arm of Young who was rushing back. The home side want a penalty, but Young's arms were against his side.
32' Young has the ball and switches possession to Moreno on the other side. The Spaniard runs forward with the ball before curling a cross into the box, but Shaw is there and heads it away. Watkins has found it difficult so far and has had just four touches.
30' Martinez kicks the ball straight to Dalot, with the right-back collecting the ball just past the halfway line. He has a chance to drive forward with the ball but decides to wait for options in possession and plays a simple pass across to Shaw.
28' BAR! Sancho gets on the end of a long pass out of the defence and rushes into the box, forcing Young to run towards his own goal. The winger then cuts the ball back to Casemiro in the middle of the box, with the former Real Madrid crashing the bar with his curling strike.
26' Sancho gets the ball on the right and drives inside before laying a pass into the feet of Dalot. He then plays a pass to Fernandes, with the United captain looking to play the ball down the right to Sancho who continues his run. However, his pass is intercepted.
24' Sancho is screaming for a penalty but the referee ignores his claims. He tries to dribble the ball between two defenders on the left side of the box, but the ball is taken away from his feet with Villa regaining possession.
21' Eriksen has the ball in the middle third of the pitch and looks to slide a pass to the right with Fernandes getting forward. However, his pass is too wide and Moreno is there to intercept.
19' SAVE! Chance for Villa. Ramsey has the ball just outside the box and slides a pass into the feet of Buendía. The former Nowich City man gets to the byline on the right and plays a pass through the legs of Shaw and across the box. Watkins is too far ahead of the ball and Dalot pokes it away but only has far as Moreno who blasts a show shot towards the goal. De Gea gets across and blocks his effort.
17' United are unbeaten in 14 Premier League home games (W11 D3), the longest current ongoing run in the division. Their last defeat at Old Trafford was against Brighton on the opening weekend of the season.
15' Fernandes bursts down the right wing to get on the end of a long pass out of the defence and whips a cross into the box. Martinez is in a good position to deal with it, but slips and cannot get there. However, he is lucky as the ball is too far ahead of Sabitzer who cannot get there for a simple finish.
14' Sancho has the ball on the left and plays a pass inside to Casemiro. The midfielder then looks to poke the ball through to Rashford, but his first touch gets away from him. However, he inadvertently lays it into the path of Sabitzer who crashes a shot over from close range.
12' Fernandes is in the middle of the action at the moment. This time he appears on the left and slides a pass into the box. Rashford runs away from Konsa, with the Villa man watching the ball rather than the man, unleashing a low shot that is saved by Martinez.
10' Fernandes has the ball on the right flank and loops a pass over the top of the Villa defence. Rashford is in an offside position, so leaves it for Eriksen. However, Young gets across to block the United man, who pulls the defender back and gives away a free-kick just inside the box.
8' WIDE! The flag goes up but Rashford will be disappointed that he did not put the ball into the back of the net. Sabitzer has possession inside Villa's half and slides a through-ball between Mings and Konsa, with Rashford running through the middle. The forward is one-on-one with Martinez, but curls his attempt wide of the post.
6' Villa won this exact fixture 1-0 last season – they've not won consecutive away league games against United since March/August 1930.
5' Sancho and Eriksen play a quick one-two on the left flank, allowing the England international to move into space down the wing. However, the flag goes up for offside against Sancho.
3' Villa have kept the ball for the first few minutes of the game. Casemiro then gets the crowd going, throwing himself into a tackle with Luiz and winning a throw-in for United.
1' United get this Premier League clash under way. Sabitzer plays the ball back to Casemiro.
Following their 3-1 win at Villa Park in Emery's first game in charge in the reverse fixture, Villa are looking to complete their first league double over Man United since 1954-55.
Emery has a settled eleven and names an unchanged team for the fourth successive game. Carlos is on the bench for the ninth match in a row and is waiting to make his first appearance since the second game of the season.
United make two changes to the side that drew with Tottenham in their previous match. Malacia starts at left-back and replaces Wan-Bissaka in the defence, with Dalot moving back to his natural position on the right. Sabitzer also comes in for Antony and is positioned behind Rashford who leads the attack.
ASTON VILLA SUBS: Robin Olsen, Diego Carlos, Bertrand Traore, Calum Chambers, Jhon Duran, Lucas Digne, Sebastian Revan, Tommi O’Reilly, Kadan Young.
ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Ashley Young, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Alex Moreno; Leander Dendoncker, Douglas Luiz; John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUBS: Jack Butland, Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial, Fred, Antony, Wout Weghorst, Facundo Pellistri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams.
MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia; Casemiro, Christian Eriksen; Jadon Sancho, Marcel Sabitzer, Bruno Fernandes; Marcus Rashford.
Villa have been one of the best teams in the Premier League since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as head coach in October. The former Villarreal boss has helped the club move from 16th to sixth, beating United in his first match in charge. They are also in good form and are unbeaten in their last 10 games, winning eight and drawing two. On course to qualify for the Europa League for the first time since the 2010-11 season, where they got knocked out in the play-off round by Rapid Vienna, Villa still have a chance of moving further up the league and into the last Champions League spot. They are just six points behind United but have played two games more than today's opponents.
United are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League and start the day six points ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham, playing two games less than the north London outfit. However, they would have stretched their advantage over Ryan Mason’s side to nine points if they held onto their two-goal lead against them in their previous game, succumbing to a 2-2 draw. The Red Devils had won their last three and will overtake Newcastle United if they beat Villa and the Magpies lose to Southampton. United have won 11 of their 15 games at Old Trafford in the Premier League this season, with their only defeat coming against Brighton and Hove Albion on the opening day.
Hello and welcome to the live commentary for the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Aston Villa.
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