Team News
Manchester United named an unchanged lineup from the abandoned game against [team 8] due to the fans’ protest at Old Trafford. Cavani’s absence in the starting eleven came as quite a surprise as Greenwood started up-top. [player 1849] was also named on the bench after his impressive display against [team 37] in the [league 5].
Aston Villa were without [player 1116] again. [player 1387] and [player 6524] started at full-backs, with Luiz protecting the defence. Barkley played as the attacking midfielder with Traore and El Ghazi on either side. Watkins continued up front as he looks to finish the season as he started it.
First-Half
[team 14] started the game with much more intensity to their overall play. They pegged [team 15] back and pressed their midfield to deny them a way out. Pogba was occupying the left inside area with [player 955] higher up the pitch, allowing United to have an extra body for a more effective press.
Inside the first five minutes, Greenwood had the first shot of the game, narrowly missing the target. Martinez was under constant pressure from non-stop shots in the early stages. He made an outstanding save to deny Shaw’s effort before saving powerful strikes from [player 205411] and Pogba. He did well to keep his side in the game. Gradually, the home side started to get in the game more.
Villa were struggling to get. They were unable to get [player 225000] or McGinn on the ball, their two progressive midfielders. A rare attack did happen when Traore’s shot was deflected. United were back on the attack as Bruno’s attempt went wide.
[player 1878] came the closest to score the game’s first goal. Greenwood smashed an excellent ball across the six-yard box. However, Rashford failed to connect with the ball as united kept missing some excellent chances.
Man United’s early dominance gradually faded away. They failed to score a single goal after a flurry of inviting chances. Villa were getting better, and [player 4254] and El Ghazi were getting more and more involved. The former [team 18] man astonishingly scored the game’s first goal against the run of play. It was an unexpected strike from an acute angle as [player 12647] was beaten in goal after not being in action for a while.
The goal sprung life into Smith’s side. Traore was involved constantly and troubled United’s backline using his pace and trickery. [player 25354], on the other side, also penetrated through his runs as [player 172611] and [player 968] enjoyed more possession.
Greenwood was probably United’s best player in the first half. The youngster had another fine effort tipped away by the brilliant [player 1343] in goal. Before the break, Watkins had a good chance to double the lead but failed to beat Henderson.
Second-Half
The red devils started the second half similarly to the first. Within a few minutes, Pogba’s powerful strike was deflected wide. [player 1992] was having a great game, and since the restart, he was their main man. Another intelligent skill by the Frenchman forced Luiz to make a foul inside the area. Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot, which was not a difficult decision. [player 129602], United’s wonderfully consistent penalty taker, scored again as the red devils were shaping up for another comeback win.
Man United were now on a different level, and Villa were being battered. Just eleven minutes later, [coach 524307]’s comeback specialists were in front. [player 20333643] scored another subliming goal to keep his chances brighter of making the [team 18645] squad for the [league 1326]. It was a nice little pass by [player 5252] into Greenwood, whose turn to shrug off a tight [player 1094] and then the finish made up for a well-constructed goal.
With Villa now without any option other than to go for it, the game started to open up. Rashford came close again but could only get his strike on target. [player 2884] almost scored an own goal with his head, but Henderson did enough to stop it. El Ghazi came close with his header at the far post, but Cavani took care of the situation as he cleared the ball.
[coach 524237] was pushing for a point as two strikers, [player 4579] and [player 62865], came on to provide a more potent goal-scoring threat. Watkins shifted to left-wing as he could have scored, but Wan-Bissaka’s strong tackle was enough to stop the shot.
Rashford collected the ball on the right side and delivered a delightful cross for the in-from [player 96088], who headed it past Martinez.
Immediately after the goal, [player 12145] was sent off after picking up a second yellow for simulation. Later, United kept possession as the game was done and picked up a crucial three points as they delay [team 9]’s title celebrations. Also, with the fixture schedule, the red devils can still win the [league 8] in extraordinary circumstances.
