Aston Villa may be one of the form teams in European football, but welcoming Manchester United is rarely ever routine
Aston Villa's last win over Man United in the Premier League came in Cristiano Ronaldo's final game for the Red Devils
Aston Villa's last win over Man United in the Premier League came in Cristiano Ronaldo's final game for the Red Devils
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Only once in over 30 years have Aston Villa beaten Manchester United on home turf in the Premier League, failing to defeat the Red Devils in 26 such matches since 1995.
That solitary success came in November 2022, a 3-1 victory that marked the perfect start to Unai Emery’s reign at Villa Park. It proved to be a sign of things to come, given the club’s remarkable rise under the Spaniard.
However, even Emery has struggled for results against United in recent seasons, despite their continued decline following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. The Portuguese forward played his final game for United in that same 3-1 defeat at Villa Park.
Since then, Villa and United have met six times, with Villa losing five of those encounters - four of them in the league - including on the final day of last season.
Despite United’s campaign being effectively over, ending in disappointment after losing the Europa League final just days earlier, Ruben Amorim’s side defeated Villa 2-0 at Old Trafford.
The match was not without controversy. Morgan Rogers appeared to score after kicking the ball away from Altay Bayindir before finishing into an empty net, but referee Thomas Bramall had already blown for a foul. As the whistle had gone before the goal, VAR was unable to intervene and overturn what appeared to be an incorrect decision. Rogers’ challenge for the ball was legal, and he believed he had given Villa the lead early in the second half.
Villa were already down to 10 men, but that goal would have put them in a commanding position to qualify for the Champions League, especially as Newcastle United - who finished fifth - lost at home to Everton.
It is fair to say that United have caused Villa fans more anguish than most opponents, even in seasons where the Red Devils are far from competing for the league title and instead enduring one of their worst periods in recent history.
In the season Villa finished fourth, they lost twice to United - blowing a 2-0 half-time lead on Boxing Day and then conceding an 86th-minute Scott McTominay winner in the reverse fixture at Villa Park.
So, after winning 15 of their last 17 matches - including their last seven in a row, six of which have come in the league (a new club record) - many Villa fans will wake up on Sunday morning feeling optimistic, though not necessarily expectant, about a fixture that has disappointed them more than any other.
United are, of course, without Bryan Mbeumo, Amad, Noussair Mazraoui, and Casemiro, and possibly also both Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt too.
But they've have won 41 Premier League matches against Villa, with 18 of those victories coming away from home. Only United themselves have beaten an opponent more times both overall and on the road (42 overall, 19 away against Everton).
United come into the game following a 4-4 draw with Bournemouth, though they have won their last two away Premier League matches. They last won three consecutive away league games in February 2024.
Bruno Fernandes has been a particular scourge for Villa, scoring six goals and registering two assists in just 10 league appearances against them. He also scored in United’s EFL Cup victory over Villa in 2022.
The 31-year-old, who also struck the crossbar in last season’s match at Villa Park, has assisted in each of his last five away Premier League appearances. Should he provide another assist in this game, he would become the first player in Premier League history to assist in six consecutive away matches.
Fernandes has also both scored and assisted in each of his last two league appearances. The only United player to achieve that feat in three consecutive Premier League games is Ryan Giggs, back in April 2003.
Villa’s optimism, if it counts for anything, stems from their outstanding form over the past three months.
As a top-flight side, they last won seven consecutive league matches between December 1989 and February 1990, while their most recent run of 10 or more wins in all competitions came between January and March 1914.
Only Manchester City have accumulated more home Premier League points than Aston Villa in 2025 (40), while the Villans have lost the fewest home games of any ever-present side (one). Avoiding defeat here would mark their fewest home top-flight defeats in a calendar year since 1983, when they lost just once in 22 games.
Further reason for encouragement comes from United’s vulnerability. They have dropped 10 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season - the third-highest total - while Villa have shown a knack for comebacks, already gaining 15 points from losing positions.
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