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Manchester United kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday. Scott McTominay scored a header from Fred's pass in the eighth minute to give the hosts an early lead while Villa could not restore parity despite their best efforts.
United were fortunate to have bagged the advantage as Aston Villa quickly grew into the game and had a couple of great chances in the first half. Ollie Watkins rattled his effort against the crossbar while Jacob Ramsey's deflected shot was just inches away from finding the net.
Manchester United will face Middlesbrough in their fourth-round fixture next month. The Red Devils will clash with Steven Gerrard's side at Villa Park in a Premier League game on Saturday. The Aston Villa manager will be hoping to get his revenge in that home fixture.
As Manchester United make it into the next round of the FA Cup with a narrow win, we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Manchester United struggled against the speedy Villa attackers
United had a few lapses in the defensive third and were only saved by luck and poor finishing by the visiting side. Watkins pounced on Victor Lindelof's careless handling of a long ball and, after beating the defender one-on-one, unleashed a shot with his right foot.
He had David De Gea beat but the ball bounced back from the crossbar. Emiliano Buendía slalomed through a crowd of United defenders from the halfway line and John McGinn also tested the goalkeeper with a long-range shot.
There was no defensive solidarity in United's backline and Villa's players created chances virtually unopposed. The Red Devils were fortunate to come away with a hard-fought clean sheet in this game.
#4 Rangnick changes formation after loss to Wolves
United opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation against Villa although it didn't have a significant impact on the club's performance. Nonetheless, it is good to see that interim manager Ralf Rangnick is not married to a philosophy. The German coach is clearly ready to adapt in order to get the results.
Midway through the game, they shifted to a midfield diamond which allowed them to control the game much better. Nonetheless, the Red Devils remained the second-best side for the better part of the game and there's much to improve at both ends of the pitch.
#3 Aston Villa's dismal run in the FA Cup continues
Manchester United condemned Aston Villa to another early exit in the FA Cup. As a result, the seven-time winners' search for their first Cup title in the 21st century will have to wait until another season.
Steven Gerrard could not break Villa's dismal run in the Cup as it was their sixth consecutive campaign in which they were eliminated from the third-round fixture. The ongoing spell is the worst Cup run in their history.
They had a good outing on Monday and had as many as two goals disallowed in the second half. Danny Ings scored the first, which was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check, as Edinson Cavani was fouled in the buildup. Watkins then tapped in from close range with Ings being flagged offside this time.
#2 David De Gea continues to impress and finishes with a rare clean sheet
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for the Red Devils this term. The result against Villa owed much to a solid performance by De Gea between the sticks.
He had to be on high alert throughout the game and thwarted almost everything Villa threw at him. The Spaniard was beaten in the first half by Watkins but was saved by the upright. Two goals were disallowed in the second half, which helped United keep just their sixth clean sheet of the campaign across all competitions.
#1 Scott McTominay scored Manchester United's first goal of 2022
Manchester United's FA Cup triumph over Aston Villa was by no means a convincing win. But they did open their account for the year as the in-form McTominay scored the club's first goal of the year.
It was the Scottish midfielder's second goal in three games. He made a smart run into the box in the eighth minute and was aided by some shoddy defending from the visitors, whose poor marking afforded him a free header.
Marcus Rashford is not enjoying a great run of form as the English winger failed to pounce on a rebound from Mason Greenwood’s shot in the 74th-minute. United's other big names did not offer much going forward.
McTominay delivered an all-round performance with three shots on target, also attempting five tackles. His presence was key in breaking Aston Villa's momentum. He ended up with a Man of the Match award for this game.
