Manchester United secured a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday thanks to a first-half goal from young sensation, Marcus Rashford. The defeat also condemned Aston Villa to relegation to the Championship.
United rang in the changes to the team that defeated West Ham in the FA Cup, bringing in Antonio Valencia, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and captain Wayne Rooney, who was making his comeback from injury.
The first half saw the Red Devils dominate possession, as they looked to get in behind the Villa defence to open the scoring. They kept the ball well, tried to utilise both flanks well, with Wayne Rooney spraying passes to the overlapping full-backs to create more pressure.
Chances were few and far in between, with Juan Mata failing to challenge Brad Guzan in goal after cutting in from the right. Immediately after, the away side got a free-kick just outside the box, but Kieran Richardson's shot flew just over the crossbar.
United then opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, as Wayne Rooney's lovely crossfield ball found Valencia on the right, whose cross was put in calmly by Marcus Rashford.
Both teams started the second half with much more urgency, as Juan Mata slid the ball into Rashford's path and the youngster almost scored, sending his effort just wide of the frame. Mata then took a shot on goal, but the effort was saved by Guzan.
As United struggled to create better chances, Villa surprised everyone by carving out two of the game's best attempts on goal. A good team move saw the ball come in to substitute Rudy Gestede, who was prevented from taking a shot by Daley Blind's brilliant last-ditch tackle. From the ensuing corner, the Frenchman almost scored again, seeing his volley ricochet off the post.
After those scares, the home side regained composure, and almost doubled their lead with what was the last chance of the game, Memphis’ shot from Anthony Martial's pass saved well by Guzan onto the post.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the curtains were drawn on Villa's stay in the Premier League, as they got relegated for the first time in 29 years. United, meanwhile, moved to 56 points from 33 games, one game more and one point less than crosstown rivals Manchester City, who play Chelsea later.
Premier League roundup
In other matches across the league, Everton and Southampton drew 1-apiece. Newcastle gave themselves a huge boost in their quest to avoid relegation by defeating Swansea City 3-0, while Watford clinched a 1-0 win away at West Bromwich Albion. In the early kick-off, Sunderland defeated Norwich 3-0 in a relegation six-pointer to help their chances of getting out of the relegation zone.
