Man United edges past Aston Villa, boosts top-four hopes

Manchester United extended their impressive run of form at Old Trafford and boosted their prospects of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday. The lone goal was scored by Bruno Fernandes.
With 63 points from 32 matches and a game in hand, Erik ten Hag’s team holds the fourth position in the standings, while Tottenham Hotspur ranks fifth with 54 points. Manchester United is in impressive form, remaining unbeaten in 15 consecutive Premier League home games, having only drawn three times during that period. Furthermore, they have not suffered a defeat at Old Trafford since the opening weekend of the season, when they lost to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Villa, led by Unai Emery, suffered their first defeat in 11 games and were unable to score in their 21st game under Emery’s management. The loss places them in sixth position in the standings with 54 points from 33 matches. Meanwhile, Ten Hag’s team bounced back from a 2-2 draw against Spurs three days earlier, where he criticized their performance for not giving their all, by creating multiple early opportunities in their victory over Villa. Notably, Marcel Sabitzer came close with a volley that went over the goal, and Casemiro’s curling shot hit the crossbar a few minutes later.
Despite a better performance from Villa in the second half, Manchester United continued to create more opportunities, with Marcus Rashford having a couple of chances on his own. In the 59th minute, Rashford managed to get past two Villa defenders, but Martinez came off his line quickly and took the ball away.
The visitors tried to score an equalizer in the closing minutes of the game, but United’s defense, including Marcel Sabitzer’s foot clearance and Victor Lindelof’s header, held them off.