Man Utd 2–0 Aston Villa: Takeaways As Red Devils End Season on High | OneFootball

Manchester United’s first Premier League victory since March cost Aston Villa Champions League football for next season, as the Villans failed to take advantage of results elsewhere.

Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Chelsea and Newcastle United’s surprise home loss to Everton meant a point would’ve been enough at Old Trafford to secure a top-five finish, but a dominant United scored twice during the final quarter-hour to dash Villa’s hopes.

The visitors were hard done by a huge refereeing blunder at 0–0, but they were considerably inferior to the impressive hosts on Sunday afternoon. United’s win saw them climb up to the lofty heights of 15th in the Premier League table.

Alejandro Garnacho’s Omission

Alejandro Garnacho was left out of Ruben Amorim’s matchday squad. / IMAGO/Giuseppe Maffia

“Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don‘t know,” Garnacho said after United’s crushing defeat in Bilbao, seemingly questioning Ruben Amorim. “The final will influence [my decision] but the whole season, the situation of the club. I‘m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards.”

Garnacho’s post-final comments certainly didn’t sit well with the Manchester United coach, who reportedly told the Argentine to find a new club this summer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS will be all too keen to cash in on some ‘pure profit’ under the PSR lens by selling the talented but raw 20-year-old.

Amorim opted against including the winger in Sunday’s matchday squad. which perhaps didn‘t come as a surprise, but the Portuguese confirmed before kick-off that Garnacho will be involved in the club’s post-season trip to the Far East.

While the Argentine hasn’t always made the smartest decisions off-field, contributing to his demise in Manchester, it looks like a once promising Red Devils career is drawing to a premature close.

More Martinez Madness

Emiliano Martínez saw red at the end of the first half. / IMAGO/PRiME Media Images

Emiliano Martínez is an occasional match-winner who is surely far too prone to moments of utter stupidity to stand alongside the continent’s elite between the posts.

Argentina’s No. 1 was a major reason why the score was deadlocked as the contest veered towards halftime, but Martínez then contributed heavily to breaking the game open.

Matty Cash’s back-pass was ill-advised and horrific, forcing Martínez into a state of panic. He committed early and attempted to shun Rasmus Højlund, but his bid to save the situation resulted in a needless dismissal. The goalkeeper stared at the striker, whose touch took him towards the left flank, before crashing into him and leaving Thomas Bramall with no choice but to brandish a red card.

With Hojlund taken wide and Pau Torres potentially recovering on the goal-line, it was a crazy decision from the experienced shot-stopper, who became the first goalkeeper since 2003–04 to make five saves and then get sent off in the first half of a Premier League match.

That‘s some way to bow out if he opts for pastures new this summer.

Officiating Blunder Costs Villa Dearly

Morgan Rogers thought he’d given the visitors a crucial lead. / IMAGO/PRiME Media Images

Aston Villa were far from deserving of a result at Old Trafford, but there’s no denying that a mistake from referee Bramall cost them the chance of earning the result which may have earned them. Champions League football.

The Villans hadn’t had a sniff when Man Utd goalkeeper Altay Bayındır, who replaced Andre Onana in the starting XI, inexplicably failed to get both hands on the ball when attempting to claim a harmless pass which entered his box. Morgan Rogers seized an opportunity and took it, poking the ball away from Bayındır before finishing into an empty net.

The Englishman had seemingly stolen the lead for the visitors, but Bramall’s whistle ensured Rogers didn’t wheel away in celebration. A finger wag in the direction of the referee came out instead. The official deemed the Villa man to have fouled Bayındır, believing the goalkeeper had full control of possession, and the fact he blew before Rogers shot meant the VAR couldn’t intervene.

That was the difference between Europe’s elite and the continent’s second tier for Unai Emery’s men.

Man Utd Overcome Europa League Final Heartbreak

Amorim’s side were impressive on Sunday. / IMAGO/Every Second Media

Ruben Amorim was apologetic as he spoke to those who remained at Old Trafford post-match, but the manager must’ve been encouraged by what he saw from his team to wrap up a humiliating Premier League campaign.

Some might’ve suspected a toxic atmosphere at the Theatre of Dreams off the back of Wednesday night’s lifeless defeat in Bilbao, but there was nothing of the sort as Amorim’s side ended the season on a high.

They were excellent from the outset, and the majority would’ve wondered why Sunday’s exuberance failed to manifest even fleetingly in northern Spain. United performed with swiftness and slickness in possession, with dynamic runs out wide aiding their ability to stretch Villa’s defence and create space in central areas.

United moved the ball with precision and had plenty of joy getting in behind down the right. All three of the right wingbacks used by Amorim against Villa caused problems, and it was Amad, who performed the role in the second half, who contributed to both goals. The Ivorian was decisive having watched his teammates huff and puff in the final third for 75 minutes, while Bruno Fernandes pulled at those glorious strings in the middle of the park to ensure the hosts ticked.

This was legitimately impressive from United, but there must be a prevailing sense of frustration given that the performance arrived just four days after that display when the outcome actually mattered.