MANCHESTER UNITED kept the rivals Manchester City waiting to be crowned Premier League champions after coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park.
The Red Devils went in at half-time a goal down following a superb strike from Bertrand Traore, but a Bruno Fernandes penalty, expertly taken Mason Greenwood drive and Edinson Cavani header gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s side all three points.
Here is how SunSport’s Dylan Terry rated the Man Utd players performances on Sunday afternoon.
DEAN HENDERSON – 6/10
The only shot he really had to deal with in the first half ended up in the back of the net, but you can’t blame him for that as it was a superb finish from Traore.
Did not make any errors that would lead you to think David de Gea can regain his place in between the sticks.
AARON WAN-BISSAKA – 8
As always the Man Utd right-back was defensively superb, showcasing why he is considered one of the best tacklers in the Premier League.
Also laid the ball into the path of Greenwood for the young English forward to turn and fire home United’s second.
Made an incredible sliding challenge to block a Watkins shot with seven minutes remaining when Man Utd looked to have been cut open.
VICTOR LINDELOF – 5
Failed to read Traore’s cute turn for the goal and then lacked the alertness to get across and block the shot.
Also regularly got caught too high up the pitch and when Villa broke Traore, El-Ghazi and Watkins were able to find the areas to hurt Man Utd.
A match like today validates why Man Utd have been linked with signing so many centre-backs to partner Maguire next season.
HARRY MAGUIRE – 6
Kept everything neat and tidy with his distribution out from the back.
Was not helped out by the poor game Lindelof was having next to him as it often felt like Maguire was reluctant to drive forward because he may leave the back door open.
Shown a yellow card in the second half for cynically pulling back Watkins, maintaining his record as the most booked player in the Premier League this season.
Was also taken off for the first time in the league campaign after suffering an injury late on.
LUKE SHAW – 7
Could have netted his second goal of the season after some lovely link up play with Pogba saw him rifle a shot towards the top corner, only to be denied by Aston Villa keeper Emi Martinez.
Was one of Man Utd’s best attacking outlets down the left-hand side, taking full advantage of Bertrand Traore’s reluctance to track back.
SCOTT MCTOMINAY – 6
Seemed to be overrun in the midfield in the first 30 minutes or so as the hosts enjoyed large periods of possession without enough pressure in between the lines from him or Fred.
Was a bit better in the second half, however his creativity was still lacking when he had the opportunity to pick a forward pass.
FRED – 6
Was a passenger for much of the match, offering very little going forward and not particularly offering a great deal of support for Maguire and Lindelof.
The defensive midfield position still feels like the one area where Solskjaer’s side are really lacking in quality.
MASON GREENWOOD – 8
Looked sharp from the outset as he was denied from close range by a smart save from Martinez and then forced the Villa No1 into another smart stop before the break.
He produced one of the best moments of quality all afternoon with a sumptuous turn and strike to give Man Utd the lead.
Always looked a threat cutting in off the right hand side and should now be considered a definitive starter for the Red Devils.
BRUNO FERNANDES – 7
Early on Fernandes unquestionably looked the most lethargic of the front four as he failed to produce the kind of link-up play that Rashford, Greenwood and Pogba were all offering up.
But his ice cool demeanour from 12 yards allowed him to tuck the equaliser away from the penalty spot with consummate ease.
As the match went on he began to have more of an impact but couldn’t quite find the perfect ball to open up the opposition.
PAUL POGBA – 7
Continues to look better on the left of a front three than he did as one of the holding midfielders.
Showed some nice touches to get attacks going with balls up to Fernandes and Rashford. Also won the second half penalty.
MARCUS RASHFORD – 6
Rashford dropped deep effectively to find Wan-Bissaka and Shaw in behind on the overlap in the early stages of the match.
But he then seemed to drift through the game without exposing the space Villa would often leave in the channels.
Clearly cannot lead the line in the same way Edinson Cavani does so brilliantly on a regular basis, but made a difference on the right by setting up the Uruguayan for the team’s third goal.
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EDINSON CAVANI (for Greenwood, 65 mins) – 8
Made a goal-saving clearance shortly after coming on, heading away inside the six-yard box when it looked as if a Villa player was ready to nod into an empty net.
Then wonderfully glanced home with world class accuracy from a Rashford delivery for his 15th goal of the season.
ERIC BAILLY (for Maguire, 78 mins) – N/A
Filled in for Maguire when the Man Utd captain went off injured in the latter stages.
NEMANJA MATIC (for Fernandes, 86 mins) – N/A
Had very little time to make any sort of notable impact on the game.
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