**Manchester United**continued their charge towards the Champions League with a victory over Aston Villa.
The first half hardly had anything to write home about, but a strong start to the second half was rewarded with another **Casemiro**goal from a **Bruno Fernandes**set-piece. Villa had barely laid a glove on their opponents, who would then be stunned by a leveller from Ross Barkley after the hour.
But the hosts would not be denied the result deserved for their improved enterprise. Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko showed the firepower in United’s ranks, and the team returned to winning ways.
Story of the Match
Michael Carrick wished to respond to the first defeat across two stints in the dugout for Manchester United. He rotated two members of the starting eleven from the trip to Newcastle United. Noussair Mazraoui made way for Diogo Dalot on the right of the back four. Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo, **Casemiro**and **Bruno Fernandes**fill the spine of the side. Amad Diallo featured on the right wing, Bryan Mbeumo moved upfront, and **Benjamin Sesko**was dropped to the bench.
Unai Emery changed three players from the lineup he selected for the 1-0 victory over **Lille**in the Europa League. Ezri Konsa continued in central defence with a partnership containing Tyrone Mings instead of Pau Torres. Lamare Bogarde remained the right back deputy in the absence of Matty Cash. Douglas Luiz left room for **Ross Barkley**in the midfield, and Jadon Sancho sat out of action against his parent club, so John McGinn was back in the fold for the first time in two months.
On a slippery surface at Old Trafford, the game took time to truly spark into life. Yoro cut out a raking ball from Konsa, and Emiliano Martinez made sure to tidy up his feet in a potentially threatening situation. But there was nothing by way of goalmouth action to talk of for either side.
Around twenty minutes into the clash, the first few flashes of a breakthrough belonged to United. **Matheus Cunha**charged down the left flank, firing a dangerous delivery into the penalty area without connecting to a red and black shirt. Minutes later, Maguire made the first contact with the cross from a corner kick, and Amad’s headed effort forced the Villa goalkeeper into a strong save.
After that moment, the Villans vied for a goal more clearly. Buendia engineered the room for a header, then McGinn swung a strike wide of the target. There was also a willingness to look directly for the movement of Ollie Watkins, but this strategy seemed to have mixed effectiveness for Emery’s men.
**Man United**retaliated, but their tame attack was summed up through several sloppy actions. Whether it was the misplaced pass of Amad out of play, a sliced shot from Mbeumo, or Dalot’s wayward effort after a chipped through ball from Bruno Fernandes, the performance was not at the level demanded.
The second half began with more positivity from the hosts as Luke Shaw and Mainoo made attempts to breach the box with crosses. Amad then lashed a strike wildly over the target before Fernandes found Mbeumo on the counterattack, and the forward forced Martinez to dive low to repel him.
Villa had not gotten going, and they were soon punished for this passiveness. From the subsequent corner, Fernandes found the head of Casemiro: cash money for a goal that the Brazilian chequed in.
The **Old Trafford**faithful found their voice, pleading for the midfielder to have one more year at the club as his contract expires in the summer. The immediate focus, however, was on holding onto this advantage unlike at St. James’ Park while the visitors had the burden of responsibility to reply.
**Casemiro**quickly picked up a yellow card as he tried to shield his backline, and Emery turned to the bench for reinforcements. McGinn made way for Leon Bailey, and Tammy Abraham switched in for Watkins. With half an hour to go, the Villans finally set about making inroads in the United defence.
A delivery into the penalty area eventually fell for Amadou Onana, whose fierce strike saw Senne Lammens make his first serious save of this showdown. However, the Belgian was powerless to prevent a close-range finish from Barkley hitting the back of the net. VAR engaged in a lengthy inspection of the incident to see if Onana should be deemed offside, but the goal would stand.
United would clap back quickly. Fernandes found himself free on the left wing, put the ball behind the backline, and Cunha chased it down. He coolly tucked away an effort, restoring the lead for his team.
Carrick chose to take off Mbeumo for Sesko, and the striker soon made his customary impact off the bench. Bogarde misread the flight of an aerially switched ball, and Cunha cleanly took the ball down into the danger zone. His cutback was blocked, but Bogarde could not sort out his feet, and the ball bounced off him in the box. Sesko snapped into action, swivelling to shoot and settle the score.
Three minutes later, Fernandes might have wrapped up a hat-trick of assists. He released Sesko behind the broken backline of the Villans, and the Slovenian had the space to attack the goal directly. However, he tried to assist Amad, and his attempted pass sloppily put the ball out of bounds.
But that moment of disappointment did not matter. The Red Devils had established a tally of 54 points by full time, three more than their visitors, and pride of place in the top three of the Premier League.