FA Cup: Man United 1-0 Aston Villa - Report

For the sixth season running they are out of the competition without winning a match.

For the fifth time in 20 years in the third round their vanquishers were Manchester United.

This defeat bore some familiar hallmarks of those defeats and then some after perhaps the most nonsensical interference yet by VAR in English football.

Trailing to Scott McTominay’s eighth-minute goal, Villa looked to have netted a deserved equaliser when Danny Ings converted from close range six minutes into the second half.

But after spending nearly four minutes being unable to determine whether Ings had been offside, referee Michael Oliver and video assistant Darren England decided a collision between Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey and United striker Edinson Cavani was enough to disallow the strike. At least, that is the way it will have felt to anyone watching the match with claret and blue leanings.

Despite dominating much of the second half Villa could not find a leveller, as they went out of the FA Cup to United for the seventh straight time since winning the 1957 final.

Boss Steven Gerrard will take some solace in the performance. Villa will play worse this season and win. But there will be few matches more important than this. The club’s wait to win a major trophy will extend into a 27th year.

Gerrard had promised to name his strongest possible line-up and was true to his word, Ollie Watkins returning as expected following his recovery from Covid-19. Captain Tyrone Mings was also back in the line-up after missing the 2-1 defeat at Brentford through suspension.

United were Cristiano Ronaldo, scorer when the teams last met in the competition in 2008, due to what interim boss Ralf Rangnick described as a “minor muscle problem”. Harry Maguire was also absent from the home squad.

The reception for former Liverpool captain Gerrard was predictably frosty but the Villa boss seemed to enjoy it, wearing a wry smile as he turned to the Stretford End after leading his team out of the tunnel.

He was distinctly less impressed with the defending which led to McTominay’s eighth minute opener. Villa failed to fully clear a corner and when Fred flung in a cross from the right, the midfielder lost Luiz and nodded the ball beyond Martinez.

The visitors almost summoned an immediate response but Watkins was unable to react in time after Mings’ flick-on, from Luiz’s corner, was redirected right at him by Victor Lindelof. Watkins was only three yards out but the ball squirmed wide.

Gerrard has his head in his hands again soon after Emi Buendia impressively held off the challenge of Fred to advance into the box, only to fire his cross too far ahead of Ings, sliding in at the far post.

Villa looked dangerous and it required a flying save from David De Gea to deny John McGinn after the Scot had been given time to shoot 25 yards out. A neat exchange between Watkins and Buendia then created space for the latter to fire at goal but the effort took a nick off a diving Raphael Varane and was comfortable for De Gea.

Neither team looked stable at the back. A wayward pass from Luiz set United away and only a fine save from Martinez prevented Cavani doubling the home side’s lead, the keeper sticking out his right-hand to turn away a shot deflected heavily off Mings.

At the other end the hosts avoided calamity when Lindelof’s heavy touch allowed Watkins to get in behind, only for the Villa striker to hammer his finish off the bar.

It was United who finished the half stronger. Martinez tipped over Luke Shaw’s long-range piledriver before, in stoppage time, only a sliding interception from Matty Cash prevented Marcus Rashford from teeing up Mason Greenwood for a tap-in.

That looked crucial six minutes into the second half when Ings appeared to have levelled, bundling home at close range after Ezri Konsa headed McGinn’s free-kick back across goal. But referee Oliver and England had other ideas and after a check of more than two minutes to determine whether Watkins had got a touch, which would have put Ings offside, it was deemed Ramsey had fouled Cavani and the goal was chalked off.

Perhaps fired by a sense of injustice, Villa proceeded to dominate. Yet the leveller was frustratingly elusive. Watkins saw an effort ruled out – correctly – for offside, before De Gea was again United’s saviour when he saved from Cash at full stretch.

As the final 20 minutes approach Watkins again went close with a curling left-footed effort which crept just past the post.

United were being pummeled but as Villa committed more men forward they almost snatched a second when Greenwood escaped down the left. Martinez saved.

Villa ran out of steam in the closing stages as a lack of effective reinforcements off the bench. But they had every right to feel a sense of injustice.

TEAMS

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Greenwood, Fernandes (Lingard 85), Rashford (Elanga 85), Cavani (Van De Beek 71) Subs not used: Mata, Amad, Telles, Wan-Bissaka, Matic, Heaton (gk).

Villa (4-3-3): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey (Philogene-Bidace 86), Buendia (El Ghazi 79), Ings, Watkins Subs not used: Hause, Sanson, Iroegbunam, Chukwuemeka, Archer, Steer (gk), Sinisalo (gk).