Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Villa Park, with Morgan Rogers scoring both goals for the home side. Matheus Cunha’s strike proved to be in vain. Unai Emery’s team will head into Christmas in third place, while United remain seventh in the Premier League table.
Morgan Rogers netted twice for Aston Villa, marking their tenth consecutive win in all competitions. Although Cunha managed to cancel out Rogers’ stunning opener, the England forward struck again in the second half, proving to be the decisive factor in an otherwise evenly matched contest.
Goals seemed likely, given that United had scored four in each of their two previous games, but they struggled defensively. Both goalkeepers shone until late in the first half, with Senne Lammens denying John McGinn and Emi Martinez making a fine save from Benjamin Sesko.
A moment of magic from Rogers provided the breakthrough, as he cut inside and found the top corner. However, Villa’s celebrations were short-lived when Matty Cash was dispossessed by Patrick Dorgu, allowing Cunha to run through unchallenged and equalise before the interval.
United deserved their equaliser, having played the more enterprising football in the opening 45 minutes. However, the second half proved more challenging, especially after Bruno Fernandes went off injured, prompting Lisandro Martinez to come on in midfield, with Kobbie Mainoo absent.
Rogers’ second goal, another curled effort beyond Lammens, restored Villa’s lead, and this time Cunha could not find a response. The Brazilian forward missed a golden opportunity with an unmarked header from Dorgu’s left-wing cross, failing to hit the target from just six yards out.
Despite the win, Unai Emery’s side remain third in the Premier League table, though they have closed the gap to leaders Arsenal to just three points. Ruben Amorim’s men missed the chance to move above Liverpool into fifth place and will spend Christmas in seventh.
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