10 WINS IN A ROW!!!!!!! 🟩 Villa 2-1 United

Match Details

Match: #5806

Season: 2025-26

Matchday: #24

League Game: #17

Manager Game: #164

Date: Sunday, 21 December 2025

Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022-

Referee: Michael Oliver | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Northumberland, 2010-

Kick off: 4.30pm

Full Head to Head: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manchester-united

Last Five Games

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

Injury News

Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and Pau Torres remain sidelined. Mings will miss his 10th consecutive game and is not expected to return until the New Year. Barkley is likely out until February, whilst Torres is pencilled in for pre-Christmas return.

Jadon Sancho is ineligible due to his loan terms and Harvey Elliott sick.

Officials

Referee: Michael Oliver | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Northumberland, 2010-

VAR: Peter Bankes | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Liverpool, 2021-

Pre-Match Quotes

"Our players are challenging themselves and finding a way to get a result every week. There is not only one tactical way or game plan to thrive, but what is mandatory is to run and have full focus to have options to win.

"Since I started my time here with that first win, we checked afterwards how difficult it is always to face such a big, historical and skilful team. Zero complacency, zero doubts that it will be very tough.

"Our 100% is required today as we are welcoming some team: Manchester United. They are always difficult and special. One of the biggest clubs and one of the most talented squads in the league.

"I am so proud of the team and of you - what a run we are doing together! But don't get me wrong, it is not enough. Nothing we did will help us today if we are not sharp and performing on and off the pitch at our best." Unai Emery.

Team News

CB Leon Routh | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | becomes the 332nd player to graduate from the youth team to make a first team squad appearance for Villa.

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/reserve/leon-routh

For the opposition just €150m of players up front, €210m in midfield, €120m in defence and just a paltry €100m in reserve on the bench.

Line Up

GK Emiliano Martínez | 🇦🇷 |

RB Matty Cash | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇵🇱 |

CB Ezri Konsa | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

CB Victor Lindelöf | 🇸🇪 |

LB Ian Maatsen | 🇳🇱 |

DM Boubacar Kamara | 🇫🇷 |

DM Amadou Onana | 🇧🇪 |

CM John McGinn | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |

CM Youri Tielemans | 🇧🇪 |

AM Morgan Rogers | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

CF Ollie Watkins | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

Substitutes

LB Lucas Digne | 🇫🇷 |

RW Donyell Malen | 🇳🇱 |

AM Emiliano Buendía | 🇦🇷 |

CF Evann Guessand | 🇨🇮 |

DM Lamare Bogarde | 🇳🇱 |

Unused Substitutes

GK Marco Bizot | 🇳🇱 |

CB Leon Routh | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

RB Andrés García | 🇪🇸 |

M George Hemmings | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

First Half Timeline

4' Ollie Watkins' shot blocked

7' John McGinn shot saved, Ollie Watkins' follow up blocked

8' Ian Maatsen shoots, Morgan Rogers' flicks hits post

13' Ollie Watkins is clear but the defender puts it out for a corner

22' Ezri Konsa slips, shot saved by Emi Martínez

23' Emi Martínez & Matty Cash collide, both down for treatment

23' Easy collection for Emi Martínez as a heavy touch breaks down an opposition attack

33' Morgan Rogers' curling effort saved

34' Emi Martínez parries a speculative strike

37' Youri Tielemans shot goes wide

42' Corner conceded, opposition foul triggers free kick

⚽ 45' Goal! 1-0, Morgan Rogers, Assist by John McGinn

45'+3 Equaliser, Matty Cash beaten in posession

HT 1-1 United get lucky again

Half-Time Insight 🙄

“It would have been harsh on United to go in at half time a goal down, and it doesn't look like they're going to.”

Gary Neville, 400 appearances for Manchester United

“Manchester United have had the better chances and have probably been the better team.”

Wayne Rooney, 393 appearances for Manchester United

Second Half Timeline

51' Matty Cash's shot blocked

53' Opposition shot sails wide

56' And again

⚽ 57' Goal! 2-1, Morgan Rogers, Assist by Ollie Watkins

59' Opposition shot from outside the area saved

62' Morgan Rogers' hat-trick shot from outside the box blocked

64' Morgan Rogers' hat-trick shot from close range blocked

65' Opposition shot sails wide

67' Opposition head over

68' Opposition booking for trying to stop another Villa move

72' Ditto

75' Subs, Lucas Digne & Donyell Malen for Ian Maatsen & Ollie Watkins

77' Opposition shot from outside the box blocked

77' Don't get excited Villans, they haven't been awarded their penalty yet

81' Yep, there it is, claims for handball in the box, Michael Oliver is no Jonathan Moss or Mike Dean however

85' Sub Emiliano Buendía & Evann Guessand for Amadou Onana & John McGinn... attacking subs!

85' Morgan Rogers' hat-trick shot from outside the box blocked

85' Straight up the other end a weak opposition shot is collected by Emi Martínez

88' Sub Lamare Bogarde replaces Boubacar Kamara, real faith that

89' Anticipating 200 minutes of injury time

90' Just the 4 minutes! Is the 'protect the six' tide finally turning?

90'+1 More catching practice for Emi Martínez

90'+2 Booking for Lamare

90'+3 Opposition free kick lands on the roof of the net FT 10 WINS IN A ROW!!!!!!!

Can't wait to hear the pundits' excuses

Full-Time Insight 🙄

"Again I think we deserved so much more today but the better team did not win." Reuben Amorin keeps up the class-less tradition that is Manchester United Football Club.

On This Day

Matty Cash 🇵🇱 150th Premier League start www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/matty... Ezri Konsa 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 260th appearance www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ezri-... Boubacar Kamara 🇫🇷 85th PL appearance www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/bouba... Amadou Onana 🇧🇪 50th appearance www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/amado...

Leon Routh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 becomes the 332nd player to graduate from the youth team to make a first team squad appearance for Villa. https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/reserve/leon-routh