Manchester United vs. Aston Villa: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Game
Manchester United continued their winning ways on Saturday, as Marcus Rashford scored the only goal in the Red Devils' 1-0 triumph over Aston Villa. The result means Villa can no longer avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Rashford opened the score after 32 minutes, handing the hosts a deserved lead as United dominated the first half. Villa barely switched gears after the break, although they came close to an equaliser when Rudy Gestede missed two chances late in the match.
Villa didn't put real pressure on United or fought for their Premier League lives until it was too late, and following Saturday's loss, they can no longer survive the drop, as 17th-placed Norwich City sit 15 points ahead of them in the standings, with just four matches left to play.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
As shared by United's official Twitter account, Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Memphis Depay all celebrated their return to the starting XI:
Meanwhile, Chris Smalling made his 200th appearance for the Red Devils on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, Villa showed little initiative from the opening kick-off, choosing to park the bus at Old Trafford and hoping for the odd chance. United didn't know how to deal with the double wall the visitors put up at first, and the opening stages of the match passed without major incidents.
Marouane Fellaini got on the end of a handful of crosses but couldn't direct his efforts on goal, and Rashford found some gaps in the defence with his movement but couldn't find team-mates when he saw the ball.
Bleacher Report UK was not impressed:
Neither were the weather gods, per Rock n Roll Football:
Rashford and Mata combined to hand the latter the first real chance of the afternoon, but the Spaniard fluffed his shot completely after a lovely turn to get rid of Joleon Lescott.
Kieran Richardson blasted Villa's first chance of the match over the crossbar after 27 minutes, before the visitors crept back inside their own half to deal with another wave of pressure.
But this time, United's hard work paid off. Rooney played an excellent ball into Antonio Valencia, who had tons of time to play a great cross into Rashford, and the youngster easily diverted the ball into the net.
Per Squawka Football, Rashford has been in sensational form since making his debut:
The goal woke up the Old Trafford crowd, but it did little to light a fire under Villa, who refused to break out of their shells.
United stopped pressing as well and barely threatened goalkeeper Brad Guzan for the rest of the half, with the exception of a Memphis free-kick, which took a deflection before the stopper pushed it out.
The final chance of the half fell to the visitors, with Jordan Ayew finding space for a shot, but fortunately for United, Smalling managed to get in the way in the nick of time.
United came out firing to start the second half, desperate to find a second goal. Mata twice picked out Rashford with fantastic through-balls, but the first came to nothing and the second ended up with the ball flying just wide of the post.
Rooney showed some rust to squander the next chance, as his touch betrayed him after a good pass from Memphis. The Dutchman continued his fine play with a bit of trickery to get rid of three defenders, but his cross just missed Fellaini.
The Red Devils continued to push for a second goal and Mata came close after some sloppy defending from the visitors, but this time, Guzan got down quickly and kept his side in the match.
Despite needing a win to have any hope of avoiding the drop, Villa refused to commit to the attack, playing almost as if they were leading.
That attitude gave the travelling fans little to celebrate, and per football writer Liam Canning, they made their voices heard:
On the other side of the pitch, Mata again had a chance after a smart delivery from Daley Blind, but like before, the Spaniard couldn't find the target.
Substitute Gestede nearly stole a point for his side when United fell asleep defensively with minutes left to play, but Blind returned just in time to prevent a disaster. From the resulting corner, Gestede threatened again, this time finding the woodwork.
But with two goals needed to avoid the drop, Villa's pressure came far too late, and United easily held on to their lead.
United will continue their bid to finish in the top four when they host Crystal Palace on Wednesday, while Villa host Southampton on Saturday.
Post-Match Reaction
As shared by Paul Ansorge of Bleacher Report, United manager Louis van Gaal admitted his team needs to play more entertaining football:
"LvG: I agree that we have to give more entertainment for the fans but also you have to win your game.
— Paul (@UtdRantcast) April 16, 2016"
Villa manager Erick Black shared the mood in his team's dressing room after the players realised relegation can no longer be avoided:
"Eric Black: The realisation hits that it's official and it's a sad sad dressing room @br_uk pic.twitter.com/naseP4LvGF
— Paul (@UtdRantcast) April 16, 2016"
The Villans likely face a long and difficult road back to the Premier League, as the current squad clearly lacks the talent to compete with the teams in England's top division and it will be hard to convince new signings to join during the summer.
Clubs like Queens Park Rangers, Fulham and Hull City haven't exactly set the Championship on fire in their first season after losing the relegation battle in recent years, and as things stand, Villa appear set for a similar fate.
