Aston Villa suffered a 3-2 defeat against Man Utd on Boxing Day as we surrendered a two-goal lead in bitterly disappointing fashion.
Goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker had put us in a strong position after 26 minutes, but Villa were unable to show composure and control thereafter as a chaotic second-half saw the hosts turn things around.
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It was another important learning experience for us as we failed to make the most of our commanding position and cash in on the advantage, and Unai Emery will no doubt be frustrated and angered by the performance given it lacked key principals that he has worked so hard to implement since his arrival.
Of course, our progression and improvement has been significant, and in the bigger picture this is hopefully just a small setback. However, the display after going two up was poor, and we certainly need to learn from it and be better.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Man Utd:
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Made some key interventions, particularly when rushing off his line, and that was vital in the first half as he protected our lead. However, little he could have done for the goals as his defence left him exposed.
Ezri Konsa, 5 – Our offside trap was working for the most part, but where Man Utd did pose a threat was the ball in behind Konsa on our right side. It caused us problems time and time again, and so although he was composed on the ball, he really had his hands full defensively with no tweaks to address it.
Diego Carlos, 5 – Similar to Konsa in that he was caught out in behind on a few occasions. Also played a really sloppy pass in the build-up to Man Utd’s first goal that sparked the comeback which will overshadow the positive passages of play.
Clement Lenglet, 5.5 – Provided the assist for our second, and his passing was excellent in the first half. However, his performance nosedived after the break, as his sloppy play in giving away a corner led to the winner.
Lucas Digne, 5 – Posed a threat going forward but looked exposed when trying to get back as Utd countered with pace. Went off injured and hopefully hasn’t sustained anything serious.
John McGinn, 6 – Scored our opener with a dangerous delivery from a free-kick into an area of uncertainty, and delivered the corner that led to our second. Will be disappointed he didn’t do better with his defensive work for their winner.
Leander Dendoncker, 5.5 – Started well and scored our second with a clever flick. However, wasn’t able to impose himself in the game and control the midfield battle, and that was a big factor in Villa’s downfall as he showed his limitations.
Douglas Luiz, 5 – Poor from our midfield orchestrator. Sloppy in possession, didn’t retain the ball anywhere near as well as he usually does and didn’t dictate the tempo as we need him too. With Pau Torres and Boubacar Kamara already missing, we can ill afford his performance level to drop at the same time as this was disappointing given his usual high standards.
Jacob Ramsey, 5 – His movement caused problems for Utd, but he didn’t offer any quality on the ball to make it count. Became anonymous in the second half before eventually being replaced.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Was a threat with his trickery and direct play and almost created some big openings for us. Worked hard out of possession too in order to apply pressure.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Not involved enough in this one. Didn’t get the service to pose a bigger threat, but his usual movement in the channels or coming short to link things together wasn’t effective enough. Was denied by a brilliant Varane clearance for his biggest chance.
Substitutes:
Alex Moreno, 5 – Struggled defensively after coming on and couldn’t provide a decisive touch with his attacking play.
Moussa Diaby, N/A
Nicolo Zaniolo, N/A
Tim Iroegbunam, N/A
Jhon Duran, N/A