Game #4509
Aston Villa
Wednesday, 18 February 1998
Lost
14th (-2)
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟥
Premier League
Attendance: 39,372
Manchester United
Villa Park
Villa concede two late goals to leave them with one win in six Premier League games under Brian Little.
Aston Villa
0-2
Manchester United
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
Savo Milošević, returned to the line up for the first time post Blackburn
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Wednesday, 18 February 1998
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester United
🥅 | 82’ Goal, 0-1, (Manchester United), David Beckham
🥅 | 89’ Goal, 0-2, (Manchester United), Ryan Giggs
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester United
🟨 | Booking, Simon Grayson
ON THIS DAY
Villa concede two late goals to leave them with one win in six Premier League games under Brian Little.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Manchester United
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 1996-97
FIXTURE HISTORY
Manchester United
Previous 5 vs. United: 🟩 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1997-98 |
Matchday | #37 |
League Game | #26 |
Manager Game | #163 |
Wednesday, 18 February 1998
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Brian Little | 🏴 | Peterlee, 1994-1998
Referee: Martin Bodenham | 🏴 | Looe, 1981-1998
Kick off: 7.45pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Score: 🟥 0-2
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟥
MANAGERIAL RECORD
Brian Little | 🏴 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 163 | 🟩 | 69 🟨 | 45 🟥 49 | 1.55
Career Form:
Brian Little | 🏴 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Martin Bodenham | 🏴 | Looe, 1981-1998
Previous 5: 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟥
Last Match: 🟥 22 September 1997, Villa 0-3 Liverpool, Anfield.
Cards: 🟨 🟨
Martin Bodenham
CARDS
Villa
🟨
Manchester United
🟨
TEAM NEWS
Savo Milošević returns after a 4 game absence, along with Ian Taylor and Fernando Nélson as Mark Draper, Steve Staunton and Lee Hendrie drop out.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.11 |
Oldest Player
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 | 29.73 |
Youngest Player
CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴 | 22.70 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Brian Little | 🏴 |
Alex Ferguson | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 |
RB Fernando Nélson | 🇵🇹 |
RB Simon Grayson | 🏴 | 🟨 |
LB Alan Wright | 🏴 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu | 🏴 |
CB Riccardo Scimeca | 🏴 |
CB Gareth Southgate | 🏴 |
M Ian Taylor | 🏴 |
CF Stan Collymore | 🏴 |
CF Julian Joachim | 🏴 |
CF Savo Milošević | 🇷🇸 |
Manchester United
GK Peter Schmeichel | 🇩🇰 |
RB Henning Berg | 🇳🇴 |
RB Gary Neville | 🏴 |
CB Gary Pallister | 🏴 |
LB Denis Irwin | 🇮🇪 |
M Nicky Butt | 🏴 |
W David Beckham | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W Ryan Giggs | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Andrew Cole | 🏴 |
CF Teddy Sheringham | 🏴 |
CF Brian McClair | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
No Substitutions Made
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | CF Brian McClair | 🏴 | (RB Phil Neville | 🏴 | 🟨 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Michael Oakes | 🏴 |
LB Lee Collins | 🏴 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 |
CF Darren Byfield | 🏴 |
CF Richard Walker | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Raimond Van Der Gouw | 🇳🇱 |
RB Michael Clegg | 🏴 |
M Jordi Cruyff | 🇳🇱 |
CF Erik Nevland | 🇳🇴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 13/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Positions:
GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half
M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward
Match Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“Savo is still on the transfer list.”
Brian Little.
*The Irish Independent*
Thursday, 19 February 1998
If fortune favours the brave, then Manchester United deserve to win the Premiership title for a historic third successive time.
At Villa Park last night, they were second best for all but the final ten minutes before two goals. from David Beckham and Ryan Giggs took them seven points clear at the top of the table.
Aston Villa, going through their own ineffective spell deserved three points, but despite dominating, they succumbed to a piece of intelligent finishing from Beckham with eight minutes remaining.
Giggs added the second in the 89th minute.
Villa took the unexpected step of restoring Savo Milosevic to their attack, but it was more a question of necessity than desire.
The Yugoslavian, disciplined after spitting in the direction of Villa fans at the end of the recent 5-0 defeat at Blackburn, later refused to play for the club. But following a meeting with Doug Ellis. the Villa chairman. and manager Brian Little, he agreed to return.
Little has insisted there is no future at the club for Milosevic despite the player's decision to call off his strike action. "Savo is still on the transfer list.” he said.
The response from the fans was predictable. Previously a popular figure at Villa Park. Milosevic was booed when he took to the pitch. Clearly, with Dwight Yorke again absent through injury, this was a marriage of convenience.
Given that Villa had scored once in their previous three League games. they needed some form of injection in attack. But it was not only Villa who were attempting to restore confidence.
Stan Collymore, who has become almost as unpopular at Villa as Milosevic. offered them further hope midway through the first half with a shot from 15 yards which was only just off target.
Villa ended the first half on top and began the second period in similar style. Indeed, but for a shade more luck, they would have taken a healthy lead.
Within two minutes of the restart Julian Joachim, operating from midfield, fed lan Taylor. who delivered a right-footed volley which Schmeichel pushed on to the top of his left-hand post.
Almost immediately afterwards Joachim tricked his way past Denis Irwin and Butt and, with Schmeichel committed, he lifted the ball narrowly over.
United remained under pressure as Villa sensed the chance to claim valuable points. Milosevic twice provided accurate crosses, with Collymore shooting wide and Taylor diving to head towards goal, only for Schmeichel to make a less than convincing save. Bosnich had saved from Teddy Sheringham when, in the 82nd minute. Beckham chased a free ball, beat two players and drove the ball high into the net. With a minute remaining. Beckham turned provider for Giggs to compound Villa's problems.
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. With thanks to Trinity Mirror. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved. Source: British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)