Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester United: Red Devils Player Ratings as visitors make light work of Villans | Premier League 2020/21
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United brushed aside Aston Villa with a comfortable 3-1 win on a sunny afternoon in Birmingham.
It was the tenth time they had come back from a 1-0 deficit to win a league game this season, setting a new record for comeback wins in a single campaign. After Villa's opener in the first half, a second-half fightback that featured goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, and Edinson Cavani sealed the win in style.
The visitors started the game well and asked questions of the hosts, pushing high up the pitch right from kick-off and committing bodies forward. They saw a lot of the ball and had already tested Emi Martinez with a couple of attempts, but it was Aston Villa who broke the deadlock against the run of play.
A great bit of pressing from Dean Smith's men in Manchester United's half saw them win the ball back in a dangerous area. The ball fell to Bertrand Traore, who unleashed a stunning strike across Dean Henderson's goal to find the top-right corner.
Villa continued to press Manchester United to quickly close down any space for the visitors to exploit. The likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes were handled excellently by the hosts, while making sure they could not afford Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood any room to run in behind.
Another Premier League game, another Manchester United comeback
Despite leading at halftime, the game was far from done for Villa as a comeback was always on the cards against the best side in the division at overturning deficits.
The floodgates opened soon after the restart as Paul Pogba won a penalty after a foul from Douglas Luiz, much like he did at Old Trafford on New Year's Day. Bruno Fernandes stepped up and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner for Manchester United's first on the afternoon and his 17th league goal of the campaign.
The turnaround was completed as Manchester United wonderkid Mason Greenwood spun Villa captain Tyrone Mings around to create a yard of space before lashing the ball into the near post to give them the lead.
It was a record-breaking goal for the 19-year-old as he is now the highest-scoring teenager in Premier League history for Manchester United, overtaking Wayne Rooney (15).
Harry Maguire, unfortunately, picked up an injury and failed to complete a Premier League game for the first time since he joined the club in 2019. Villa threw caution to the wind and made a few offensive changes to put together one last push only for Manchester United's substitute, Edinson Cavani, to seal the three points with a bow on top.
The Uruguayan sneaked into the box to get on the end of a cross from Rashford and head the ball into the bottom corner. In stark contrast, Villa striker Ollie Watkins was sent off for a second yellow card late into the game for simulation in the box.
The win solidifies Manchester United's position on the table as they've all but secured European football next season. They have also managed to postpone Manchester City's title celebrations in the process.
Here's how the Manchester United players fared in the game.
Dean Henderson — 7/10
Absolutely nothing he could've done for Villa's opener, but he was solid when the hosts tested him. Came off his line to deal with the Villans' attacking threat proactively.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka — 7/10
Didn't provide as much of an attacking threat in the first half, was caught off-guard by Villa's wide men, but had a much better second half. Provided the assist for the winner and came up with a brilliant goal-saving tackle later on.
Victor Lindelof — 5/10
Manchester United are reportedly in the market for a new centre-back, and Lindelof's display will surely not dissuade them from looking for other options. Was too weak to get the ball off Traore in the build-up to the opener and nearly let Ollie Watkins get away in the second half. Not good enough.
Harry Maguire — 7/10
Stood strong to repel Villa's attacks and took a few knocks, but it was a strong display overall from Maguire. Won all four of his aerial duels and was a rock at the back. Forced off injured late into the second half.
Luke Shaw — 7/10
Started the game well with a number of superb runs down the left, but his attacking threat waned as the game went on. He was still dependable at the back and was one of the Red Devils' more impressive stars on the afternoon.
Scott McTominay — 5/10
Lost the ball for the opener and was erratic on the ball. Was often out of position and found it difficult to deal with Villa's press in the middle. One of McTominay's more forgettable displays in a Manchester United shirt.
Fred — 6.5/10
A poor decision to play the ball back to McTominay from a dangerous position. Apart from that, it was a decent showing from the Brazilian, and made more tackles than any of his teammates on the night (three).
Mason Greenwood — 8/10
Despite a frustrating first half, Greenwood was the only attacker who tried to make things happen and tested Emi Martinez. Came up clutch with a superb equaliser to score his fifth goal across his last seven games across all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes — 6/10
The Portuguese was far from his best and despite slotting the penalty, he failed to influence proceedings in the game. He looked burnt out in the second half and was hooked for Nemanja Matic late on.
Paul Pogba — 7.5/10
Was threatening in the opening exchanges of the first half and combined well with Luke Shaw down the left. Helped Manchester United dominate the second half and won a penalty for the equaliser. Solid outing overall.
Marcus Rashford — 6/10
Came back into the lineup after a few games and failed to deliver anything substantial. Provided the assist for the third goal but didn't threaten Villa's defence as much as he'd have been expected to.
Substitutes
Edinson Cavani (Greenwood, 65') — 7/10
Continued his sublime goalscoring form with another great display off the bench. Came on for Greenwood and stretched Villa's backline out before sealing the result with a late third goal. His movement was important to keep the hosts' backline occupied.
Eric Bailly (Maguire, 78') — 6/10
Came on for his injured skipper and put in a decent display in the final few minutes of the game.
Nemanja Matic (Fernandes, 86') — N/A
Added a defensive presence to see out the remainder of the game and helped deal with Villa's late surge.
Also read: Twitter reacts as Manchester United cruise to 3-1 comeback win against Aston Villa