"I saw a team that desperately wanted to win" - Ralf Rangnick on Manchester United's 1-0 FA Cup win against Aston Villa
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick was pleased with the intensity and desire shown by his team during their 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Aston Villa on Monday.
Rangnick was happy with his side's response following their 1-0 Premier League defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, the 63-year-old tactician said that his side struggled to control the game against Villa due to the opposition's 'flexible' play.
Speaking to United's official channel, Rangnick said:
"I think everybody expected a reaction to the Wolves game. I think the team showed a reaction. We didn't miss out on intensity, but we still had difficult moments in the game."
"First half, I thought, was good. We played a lot of diagonal balls; we kept the Villa team moving from one side to the other, scored a beautiful goal, but on the other hand, we were still struggling to get control in midfield. We knew that they are very flexible, Villa, with their midfield, with their two no.10s and their three no.6s and no.8s, so at times, we were struggling."
Rangnick said his side's desire to win the game helped them prevail against a difficult Aston Villa side, adding:
"I saw more aggression, but I didn't necessarily see that much more pressing, because in order to see those pressing moments, you have to get into those pressing moments. As I said, it's difficult against Villa. But what I saw was a team that desperately wanted to win, and, in the end, that's why we won the game."
The United manager was happy with how his team controlled the game at the end, saying:
"It got much better in the second half when we changed to a diamond and, yes, in the last 15 minutes, we controlled the game. On the counter-attack, I would have wished us to take better decisions in the second half. Then we could have scored maybe even a second goal, but with 1-0 it's always tight until the very end."
An early goal from midfielder Scott McTominay was enough to settle the tie which was plagued in VAR controversy. Villa had two goals ruled out in the second half by VAR in a game where the visitors dominated despite going a goal down early. United will now take on Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the competition.
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It's confirmed ✅
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Who do you have winning this one? 🤔 https://t.co/mso1KIfmVQ
Manchester United face Aston Villa yet again at the weekend
Manchester United will face Aston Villa for the second time this week when they clash in the Premier League on Saturday. The Red Devils will travel to Villa Park to take on Steven Gerrard's side, who have lost their last two league games.
🗣 Rangnick: “There are still a lot of things to improve but it is easier to do that with a 1-0 win.” [BBC] twitter.com/utddistrict/st…
The Red Devils will be desperate to get back to winning ways themselves following their 1-0 loss to Wolves. Ralf Rangnick's side are currently seventh in the Premier League standings, having accumulated 31 points from 19 games.