Manchester United suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Aston Villa at Old Trafford stadium. It was a tight game with quick attacking moves on either side of the pitch.
United lacked the end-product and the defensive looked very much vulnerable at times. Aston Villa pressed relentlessly and did get their reward a lot of times as United defenders hesitated at the back. They were some good chances for Manchester United as well but neither team was unable to find the back of the net until the 88th minute.
Hause scored from a powerful header via a brilliant inswinging corner from Luiz. Hause turned from hero to villain by the 90th minute when he was found guilty of handling the ball in his box.
Bruno Fernandes stepped to take the penalty but he hit it straight over the crossbar, much to the relief of Emiliano Martinez.
Let’s look at how every Manchester United player fared during the match:
David De Gea: 6
Made a lot of good saves from the back and was commanding from the back. Did well to prevent Watkins from scoring after a Maguire horror pass. Couldn’t do anything about the Villa goal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 7
Probably his best performance in this season. Provided both defensive stability and attacking threat throughout the match. Made some crucial tackles to deny Aston Villa attackers from running down the right flank.
Raphael Varane: 7
He was so smooth in defending. A very commanding and mature performance from the French defender. He was quite solid and maintained a continuous flow of passes from the back.
Harry Maguire: 5
An average performance from the English center-back. He did win some crucial aerial duels but was very nervous from the back. He nearly let Watkins score after his poor back pass to De Gea.
Luke Shaw: 5
Was quite sloppy at the back. Villa defenders made it look easy to run past him. Didn’t contribute much to the attack.
Scott McTominay: 4
Didn’t fulfill his responsibilities well and looked frozen throughout the match.
Fred: 5
Won the ball numerous times for United and fulfilled his role well but again not an imposing performance from the Brazilian midfielder.
Mason Greenwood: 5
Looked selfish at times as he tried to shoot even after having numerous players besides him. Looked bright initially but wasn’t his best performance in the United shirt.
Bruno Fernandes: 5
Was the lone player who played incredibly well in the first half. Provided some accurate crosses and covered every blade of grass. His performance level dipped in the second half and a missed penalty further worsened it.
Paul Pogba: 5
Drifted well but didn’t contribute much in attack. Had a very quiet game today.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 5
Was isolated for most of that time and didn’t get an opportunity to show his magic. Not a pleasant match to add to his record.
Substitutes:
Diogo Dalot: 6
Played quite well after coming on as a replacement for Luke Shaw. Looked very energetic at the back and made some good runs in the opposition box. Looked determined to get a start.
Edinson Cavani: 4
Didn’t get much time to play but still lost his marker which led Hause to score the goal.
Victor Lindelof: N/A
Didn’t have much time to have an impact.
