We look at three things we learned after Aston Villa failed to take advantage of their chances as they lost the game late on against Man United.
In a highly important game in the race for the Champions League, Villa looked to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in the week
The hosts created an abundance of clear chances at Villa Park which only increased after United’s opener with the hosts tearing through the visitor’s defence to no reward.
After finally getting themselves back in the game, Scott Mctominay broke Villa fans’ hearts as he netted a late winner for the Red Devils.
Now, looking back on the result, we examine three things that we learned from the result.
Set pieces continue to be Aston Villa’s defensive bane
Another game, another set piece conceded by Aston Villa. The first goal was always going to be important against Man United and the visitors took the lead in a preventable fashion.
While the build-up to the corner was certainly debatable, the hosts had to ensure that they were on their toes. Harry Maguire, who had won multiple headers with ease beforehand, rose highest to give Rasmus Højlund an easy finish from six yards. How the striker was unmarked in that position was extremely poor from Emery’s side.
Set pieces have been an issue for Villa throughout the campaign. According to WhoScored, the West Midlands side have conceded the third most goals from these situations this season, with only Nottingham Forest and Burnley having more.
While there have been many positives so far this season, this is something that the manager needs to address sooner rather than later.
Missed chances haunt hosts in Aston Villa vs Man United
The hosts had an abundance of chances throughout the game. Emery’s side could have had multiple goals throughout.
After missing several chances in the first half, this trend continued after half-time with Ollie Watkins in particular failing to convert in great positions for the hosts.
Even Villa’s equaliser from Douglas Luiz was the result of Emery’s side missing another fantastic chance before the ball was recycled to the midfielder to stick it into the net.
From here, it looked as if the hosts were going to sneak a famous win as momentum swung in their favour at Villa Park.
However, more chances went astray until Scott Mctominay popped up with a late winner to the home fan’s dismay.
Aston Villa need to refind their mojo to get Champions League
After three defeats in a row at home, Villa have seemingly lost their trump card that got them into the top four.
Villa Park was once a fortress in the Premier League after it oversaw 15 wins in a row in the division. However, since the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, this momentum has fallen off.
The club really needed to get something against Man United, but now the Red Devils are only five points behind Emery’s side.
Villa needs to get another win and fast. With Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Luton up next, at least seven points from those fixtures would put their season back on track.
