MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United remain on course for a top-four finish after beating Aston Villa 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes scored the only goal in the first half as Erik ten Hag’s side bounced back from their disappointment at Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
United dominated the first half but needed Victor Lindelof at his best after half-time to ensure another clean sheet and stretch their unbeaten league run at Old Trafford to 15 games.
Douglas Luiz came closest to an equaliser for Villa but saw his shot headed off the line by Lindelof, who also produced another good block to deny Jacob Ramsey.
Rapid reaction
1. United take another step towards top-four finish
United haven’t confirmed their return to the Champions League but victory over Aston Villa represents a big step. A run of games against Tottenham, Villa and Brighton was always going to be crucial in the race for the top four and after the second-half collapse against Spurs on Thursday, it was vital they didn’t drop more points.
Villa arrived as one of the most in-form teams in the league but United started well and kept them at arm’s length for most of the afternoon. Ramsey was well-marshalled by Casemiro, and Ollie Watkins barely had a touch upfront. Unai Emery was so annoyed during the first half that he spent most of it barking at Emiliano Buendia and pacing around his technical area like a caged animal, clenching his fists in frustration and waving his arms.
There were moments when it wasn’t comfortable and United needed Lindelof — man of the match against Brighton at Wembley in the FA Cup semifinal — to have another good game but if you can grind out wins at this stage of the season then it’s a good sign. Another positive result against Brighton on Thursday and a top-four finish will be within touching distance.
