Manchester United continued their winning start to the season with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in a tight contest at Villa Park on Friday.
The only telling moment came in the 29th minute when Adnan Januzaj turned decisively in the box following a Juan Mata through ball before firing home past Brad Guzan. Villa felt hard done by when Micah Richards was wrestled to the ground in the opposition box but in truth they rarely troubled a makeshift United back line after playing an hour of the match without a target man up front.
It was not a vintage United performance by any stretch, but they will take heart from another clean sheet and overcoming a feisty Friday night atmosphere at Villa Park under the floodlights. For Villa, their most exciting moment came before kick-off when new £7 million Barcelona winger Adama Traore was paraded on the pitch in front of the home fans. They gave United plenty to think about without ever really carving out a serious chance.
Aston Villa
Brad Guzan – 6: Quick off his line to smother a United chance in the first 20 minutes but a quiet night after that. Could not fault him for the goal.
Jordan Amavi – 8: A few lapses in concentration but composed on the ball and made a couple of important last-ditch tackles.
Ciaran Clark – 6: Almost put his team in trouble with a horribly misplaced pass in the first half but was fairly solid after that. Distribution still lacking at times.
Micah Richards – 7: Overcommitted himself in the box for the United goal when he should have stayed on his feet. A calming influence thereafter and a leader on the pitch.
Leandro Bacuna – 6: Not a bad performance but struggled to cope with Januzaj at times and is clearly more comfortable further up the pitch.
Jordan Veretout – 5: Struggled to impose himself on the game and gave the ball away too many times. Often seemed out of sync with his teammates.
Idrissa Gueye – 7: Faded towards the end of the game but made some encouraging drives forward and can spot a pass. Could be an adequate replacement for the departed Fabian Delph.
Ashley Westwood – 7: Neat and tidy and kept the moves building up from the back. His delivery from corners was generally good.
Jordan Ayew – 4: It is early days for him but nothing came off tonight. More effective out wide but too often gave the ball away and his one glimpse of goal ended up in Row Z of the Holte End.
Gabby Agbonlahor – 5: Had a header which went wide but yet again flattered to deceive in Villa colours and still often fails to get the basics right.
Scott Sinclair – 4: His best 10-minute spell came after half time before he was substituted. Anonymous in the first-half and seemed unable or unwilling to take on the full-back.
Substitutes
Rudy Gestede – 6: Should have started the game and his mere presence presented the United defenders with a different problem. Often had to come too deep and did not receive the service from wide channels.
Carlos Sanchez – 6: Generally kept things moving in the middle of the park and provided a fresh pair of legs at a time when the Villa team started to tire.
Manchester United
Sergio Romero – 6: Did not have a save of note to make all game.
Matteo Darmian – 8: Very composed performance and looks like the right-back United have been chasing for quite some time.
Chris Smalling – 8: Dealt with Gestede in the air on a number of occasions when the Villa striker came on and generally held a good line.
Daley Blind – 7: The stand-in centre-half looked more than capable of deputising for the injured Phil Jones but will surely face tougher challenges in the weeks to come.
Luke Shaw – 7: His final ball in the final third was sometimes lacking but solid enough defensively.
Michael Carrick – 7: Kept the midfield ticking over but gave the ball away several times when Villa pressed more early in the second-half.
Morgan Schneiderlin – 8: Is taking his Southampton form into the early part of this season. Good performance and seems to be linking up with his new United teammates well already which will please Louis van Gaal.
Juan Mata – 8: Assisted Januzaj for his goal and could have had another. Drifted out of the game as the match wore on.
Adnan Januzaj – 8: Gave the Villa defence problems at times and was coolness personified for his goal. Looked far more effective in a central role rather than being isolated on the wing.
Memphis Depay – 6: Created space at times and adds a flair to the United team but struggled to make any telling contribution. Will almost certainly improve as he adapts to the Premier League.
Wayne Rooney – 4: One of his poorest performances in a United shirt and looked out of sorts for some reason. His first touch in the Villa box coming in the 90th minute tells its own story.
Substitutes
Bastian Schweinsteiger – 7: Imposed himself on the match impressively when he came on at a time when Villa were starting to come into the game.
Ander Herrera – 7: The birthday boy helped United gain some composure in the middle of the park.
Ashley Young – N/A: Introduced with 10 minutes to play.
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