Key events
Ben Fisher has filed his match report, so that’s my cue to go away and think about some Talking Points. Thanks for your company, correspondence and views on everything from signs of concussion to Bruno Fernandes’ ego.
In the words of a man who grew up a few miles from Villa Park, Merry Xmas Everybody. I’ll be back on Christmas night to cover the cricket, with the Ashes already gone. Living the dream!
The Rashford-Garnacho debate (18:43) rumbles on. “Spot on, Tim,” says Bob Bunting, generously. “All this stuff about ‘Rashford & Garnacho’s attitude and tantrums’ has been hugely overblown in my opinion. It’s about decent player management – and Amorim is useless at it.” He’s certainly quick to dismiss people.
Rogers has only just left the stage. He takes his shirt off and hands it to a young fan in the front row, who had put in a bid for it by writing on an England flag. This manoeuvre reveals that Rogers’ right shoulder is heavily strapped.
Meanwhile Paul Merton is saying that he can expect to start the World Cup as England’s No 10. “He’ll be playing all the time … Eze at Arsenal may not get many games.” Yes, but Eze may not be his main rival.
“John McGinn is such an admirable footballer,” says Simon McMahon. “No ego, just a hard-working team player who never hides, the likes of which every successful side needs.” Very true. And he had to come onto the field carrying a mascot – Ozzy Osbourne’s grandson, Sid.
Wondering where Morgan Rogers stands among the leading scorers? He’s up to fifth equal.
“As an avid reader of your blog, Tim, I know you have your problems with Amorim’s methods,” says Karen Asad. (Guilty as charged.) “But you gotta admit, this team is definitely on the ascendency. I’ll take Cunha, Mbeumo, Mount, Amad’s workrate and professionalism over Rashford & Garnacho’s attitude and tantrums any day.
“I don’t think it’s healthy to think too much about those stars of the past. Amorim’s cultivating a good culture; United being stuck with a bunch of moody stars over the recent years is hardly his fault.”
Point taken, but the manager’s job is to get the best out of his players. And neither Rashford nor Garnacho has been replaced – Amorim’s squad doesn’t have a single left-winger. The upshot is that those two are getting goals and assists for Barcelona and Chelsea, and (so far) proving perfectly manageable.
United remain seventh with 26 points from 17 games, ahead of Palace on goal difference. Yet again, they’ve blown a chance to break into the top five, though this one was tougher than most.
Villa stay third in a table that now looks very like a three-horse race. After 17 games apiece, Arsenal are top with 39 points and Man City second with 37. They both have 12 wins while Villa, on 36 points, have 11. They are seven points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, both on 29.
After a stumbling start Villa have collected 35 points from their last 14 games, which is title-winning form.
The Villa players are having fun with the crowd. It’s going to be a very happy Christmas in these parts.
United were decent in defeat, but Rogers was a cut above. And now Bruno Fernandes is injured, as well as Kobbie Mainoo, so Casemiro is going to have his hands full when he pulls on his gloves and walks out to face Newcastle on Boxing Day.
FULL TIME! Villa 2-1 Man United
They always win. They always win by one goal. And Morgan Rogers is always the man.
90+4 min Another free kick to United, but this one is in their own half and they can’t do anything with it.
90+2 min Bogarde instantly picks up a yellow card with a foul that gives United a free kick. Mount hits it just over the bar, and that may well be that.
90+1 min Unai Emery has just used his final sub – Bogarde for Kamara.
90+1 min Only four added minutes.
90 min Lacey has a shot! He picks the ball up from Cunha, cuts in from the right and hits a decent effort with his left foot.
88 min Shea Lacey came on for Leny Yoro, so that meant another reshuffle. Lisandro Martinez is now in the middle of the back three, back in his usual slot – but he will be missed in the pivot, where a lot is now being asked of Jack Fletcher. Maybe Amorim does rate the Academy after all.
86 min United’s latest makeshift corner-taker is Mason Mount. He sends the ball straight into the arms of Martinez.
85 min Another United attack, another Cunha long shot. This one is low and easily saved by Emi Martinez.
84 min Better news for United fans: Shea Lacey makes his debut! He’s the closest thing to Amad in the Under-21s.
83 min Bad news for United fans: Villa are bringing on their supersub, Emi Buendia. He and Guessand replace McGinn and Onana.
82 min Villa have some subs on too: Digne for Maatsen, Malen for Watkins.
81 min United have not one appeal for a penalty but two, both for handball. The VAR gives them short shrift.
79 min Lisandro Martinez keeps finding himself in the right place in midfield, winning the ball and calmly playing it forward. He’s a natural!
78 min A caption shows that Villa have had 11 shots, four of them on target – and so have United. The only difference between the sides has been Rogers.
75 min Zirkzee replaced Sesko, so that’s straightforward – he’ll go up front. Fletcher replaced Ugarte, perhaps because of the yellow card. This is more complicated: it may mean that United’s pivot, which began as Ugarte and Fernandes, is now Fletcher and Martinez. A debutant and a defender.
74 min Amorim brings on two subs – Joshua Zirkzee and young Jack Fletcher, son of Darren and twin of Tyler. A lovely moment for that family.
71 min One yellow card brings two as Dalot lays a high boot on Maatsen. Before that, some neat passes got United into the box, only for Mount’s low cross to end up in Emi Martinez’s arms.
69 min Ugarte produces a foul and picks up a yellow card, the first of the game I think.
67 min Big miss! It’s Cunha again – getting his head to a cross from Dorgu, nodding it down, but failing to get it on target. Maybe he was gobsmacked at seeing Dorgu hit a good cross.
65 min That was good from Cunha, and so was the goal – but now he takes another of his long shots and sprays it wide. If Rogers gets a chance like that, he’ll have a hat-trick.
63 min Onana strolls through the middle of the park and feeds McGinn, who is hotly pursued by Cunha but wins a corner.
“Interesting how footie can (long) throw different perspectives depending on circumstances,” says Jeremy Boyce. “Two years ago Isaak was scoring goals for fun, hence the transfer, but since then has spent most of his time crocked, again yesterday. Two years ago Calvert-Lewin was constantly crocked and going nowhere, hence the transfer, but look at him now. It’s a funny old game, footie. 3-2 Villa then…”
60 min United get forward, yet again. Dalot has a shot saved and Dorgu, following up, has one blocked. The crowd don’t care: they’re singing when they’re winning.
Meanwhile, there’s been a casualty in the WSL.
58 min Again it’s just Rogers doing what Rogers does, cutting in from the left and finding the far corner. As with the first goal, Leny Yoro was a bit slow to close him down. There was an assist for Ollie Watkins, who did well to lay a cross off to Rogers.
GOAL! Villa 2-1 United (Rogers 57)
He’s done it again!
56 min Villa threaten to counter, but Lisandro Martinez calmly nicks the ball and helps himself to a shot – just wide.
54 min United win a corner on the right. All their corner-takers have vanished – Mbeumo, Amad, Fernandes. Luke Shaw steps up and finds the ball headed back to him. His volleyed cross makes its way to Mount, whose shot from the edge of the area goes wide.
52 min Villa get into the box with both their full-backs joining the fun – but also getting the glimpses of goal, which they don’t exploit as well as the forwards would.
49 min The closest thing United have to Morgan Rogers is Mason Mount, who has finally begun to resemble the player they bought from Chelsea. He advances now and whips in a cross which Cunha can’t quite get a toe to.
48 min Fernandes is well enough to walk to the bench, head in a hoodie, looking suddenly younger than his 31 years.
46 min Martinez lines up in Fernandes’ slot, in midfield, next to Ugarte. He did play there a few times for Ajax, but I seem to remember Amorim saying recently that he didn’t see Martinez as a midfielder.
Fernandes misses the second half
He really must be injured. Lisandro Martinez is coming on, which means a reshuffle.
And here’s our Scottish correspondent, Simon McMahon. “Afternoon Tim, and season’s greetings to you. Celtic have just beaten Aberdeen 3-1 at home, late goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forrest providing some respite for the beleaguered Wilfried Nancy after four straight defeats in 11 days since the Frenchman replaced interim boss Martin O’Neill as manager. Aberdeen were reduced to ten men before half-time, yet equalised, with Celtic hitting the woodwork four times and forcing a string of saves from Mitov in the Dons goal before Tierney and Forrest’s late interventions.
“Hearts had earlier beaten Rangers 2-1 at Tynecastle and will remain top at Christmas, the first time any side other than Celtic or Rangers have done so since 1993. Might there actually be a title race in Scotland next year…?”
News from elsewhere
While we wait to see if Bruno Fernandes’ injury is serious, Mark Dobson has the latest on Alexander Isak.
Time for a glance at the mail. “Bruno Fernandes has probably pulled his ego,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Or else he’s twinged his hubris.” Ouch!
“I’m still wondering,” says Martin Lancon, “what United are doing in training. They’ve known all along the right wing was going to be weakened.” Good point. Shea Lacey, who’s young, gifted and their only remaining right-winger, was on the bench three times recently and didn’t get a single minute on the pitch, even when they were 4-1 up against Wolves.
“Watching the match in Italy,” says Colum Fordham, “where the commentators are underlining what they see as madness in selling McTominay to make way for Ugarte. I tend to agree but am rather pleased the Scottish midfielder came to Naples where he is a star.”
HALF-TIME! Villa 1-1 Man United
Honours even. Which seems fair – United’s patchwork XI have done better than expected, but Villa always looked more likely to score. They duly took the lead through the classy Rogers, before a cock-up at the back allowed Cunha to produce an instant retort.
GOAL! Villa 1-1 Man United (Cunha 45+3)
United answer back! Cash dithers playing out from the back. Dorgu nicks the ball and pokes it to Cunha, who stays nice and calm and plants his shot in the corner.
45+2 min We’re in the middle of four added minutes. United win a corner, which Fernandes is well enough to take. And then …
GOAL! Villa 1-0 Man United (Rogers 45)
McGinn finds Rogers, who keeps the ball in, just, on the left. Then he just strolls in and curls the ball into the far corner. It’s so easy when you’re in form.
41 min It will take more than an injury to stop Bruno Fernandes making things happen. After some neat work by Cunha and Mount, he gets a chance on his left foot, and draws a save from Martinez. But he does appear to be limping.
41 min “‘He doesn’t look at all dazed,’” says Andy Waddington, quoting me on Martinez. “Is this how they make a medical decision of whether he should continue playing with a potential brain injury?” Ha, no, it was just an observation.
Bruno Fernandes may be injured
He’s felt something, possibly a hamstring. This never happens!
