Aston Villa – Manchester United: McTominay Saves United’s Day (1-2)

Manchester United took the lead early on and mostly attacked through transitions in this game. Aston Villa were able to carve them open on a few occasions though, as United’s man-oriented defensive system faltered. Douglas Luiz’ eventual equalizer was answered late on by substitute Scott McTominay to earn United three points.
Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side put themselves in Champions League Qualification contention after a strong first part of the season. Recent form has been less dazzling, with only one Premier League win in 2024 so far. The also found themselves eliminated from the FA Cup earlier in the week, losing their replay against Chelsea after their initial stalemate at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United meanwhile have endured a difficult season, underperforming expectations domestically and in Europe. The new year has brought some better results for Erik ten Hag though, and United will need to continue that momentum if they wish to recover their season and secure Champions League qualification once again.

Villa started in a 4-2-3-1 shape here, with a back four of Matty Cash, Diego Carlos, Clément Lenglet, and Àlex Moreno. Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz partnered in central midfield, with John McGinn in the number ten role ahead of them. Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey were . . .