Carabao Cup: Manchester United 4 Aston Villa 2 - Report
Perhaps ending two hoodoos in the space of five days was too much to ask for.
Having ended a 27-year wait to beat Manchester United in a home league fixture on Sunday in Unai Emery’s first match in charge, Villa last night threatened to claim their first cup victory over the Red Devils since 1999.
Twice they led at Old Trafford, yet twice they gifted United equalisers before goals from Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay saw the hosts emerge as victors from a Carabao Cup third round tie in which all the action was contained to 45 barmy second half minutes.
Emery, who has outlined his desire to end Villa’s long wait to win a major trophy, watched as one avenue closed for this season.
Yet this also felt like a night when the new boss was testing out his squad and he will have learned plenty about his players.
This was a particularly rough night for goalkeeper Robin Olsen, whose poor pass helped set up United’s winner, while Tyrone Mings – excellent in Sunday’s also experienced a less than stellar final half-hour as a substitute.
After a first half where little happened, Villa took the lead through Ollie Watkins but allowed an instant leveller from Anthony Martial and having got back ahead through Diogo Dalot’s own goal, conceded a second equaliser from Marcus Rashford. The defending left plenty to be desired.
There were seven changes for both teams, including first starts for both goalkeepers, Olsen coming in for Villa and Martin Dubravka making his United debut.
Emery also handed Calum Chambers a first start of the campaign in defence with Mings on the bench, while Boubacar Kamara was named in a starting XI for the first time in nearly two months following his recovery from a knee injury.
It was more than midway through the half before there was an attempt on goal. Tyrell Malacia’s cross seemed to sit up nicely for Diogo Dalot at the far post but the recovering Danny Ings was able to do enough to send the header over the bar.
Villa were struggling to get anything going in attack but when they won their first corner of the match on the half-hour, Douglas Luiz nearly repeated his trick from the previous round at Bolton of scoring directly from it. This time Scott McTominay was in the right place to head clear off the line at the near post, with Dubravka struggling.
The visitors were now posing a threat and another Luiz corner was headed clear as far as Ashley Young, who volleyed over from 25 yards out. But there were no further openings for either team before the break, Fernandes attempting a quick free-kick routine which no-one else in red anticipated with the final action of a forgettable half.
The second period, to put it mildly, began with a spark.
Within three minutes Villa led, Kamara winning the ball inside his own half as referee David Coote ignored home cries of handball and finding Ramsey, who perfectly picked out the run of Watkins. The clipped finish, over the onrushing Dubravka, looked like that of a striker whose confidence is returning.
More than 7,500 Villa supporters behind the goal were making plenty of noise but within seconds of the restart they were drowned out as United levelled from kick-off without a visiting player touching the ball. The offside trap which had worked so well in the first half failed, Fernades raced on to Dalot’s lofted pass and squard for Martial to tap home. It was a sickener for Villa but the game was finally on.
Emery made a trio of substitutions just prior to the hour mark and one of those introduced, Bailey, had an instant impact. Young picked out the Jamaica international at the far post and his header back across goal was diverted home by Dalot.
Yet again, Villa could not hold the lead. They were fortunate not to concede when Rashford latched on to a Malacia pass and shot wide with just Olsen to beat. The England international was never likely to pass up a second chance after Mings had stumbled trying to reach Young’s clearance. Chambers could not do enough to put him off the shot and midway through the half it was all square once more.
Olsen did superbly to deny Fernandes low down after the Portugal international had found time to turn in the box and then, from the corner, he was in the right place to punch clear Maguire’s header.
Yet it was his poor pass out which was then pounced on by Alejandro Garnacho, who found Fernandes. Mings dived in the way of the shot but only succeeded in diverting it into the corner of the net.
McTominay sealed United’s seventh consecutive cup win against Villa when he turned home Garnacho’s cross in stoppage time, Olsen rooted to his line.
Teams
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Dubravka, Dalot, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia, Fred (Eriksen 62), McTominay, Rashford (Casemiro 82), Fernandes, Van De Beek (Elanga 62), Martial (Garnacho 62) Subs not used: Martinez, Casemiro, Shaw, Pellistri, Shoretire, De Gea (gk).
Villa (4-4-2): Olsen, Young (Cash 74), Konsa (Mings 59), Chambers, Augustinsson, Ramsey (Buendia 59), Kamara, Luiz, McGinn, Watkins, Ings (Bailey 59) Subs not used: Sanson,
Nakamba, Digne, Archer, Martinez (gk).
