Manchester United edge out Aston Villa, move closer to Champions League comeback

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Man United bolstered their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a vital 3-1 win against top-four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday.

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Michael Carrick’s side took the lead through Casemiro’s second-half opener at Old Trafford before Ross Barkley hauled Villa level.

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United finished strongly, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko scoring in the closing stages to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.

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Sitting third in the Premier League, United are three points clear of fourth-placed Villa in the race to reach the Champions League via a top-four finish.

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United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe this week praised Carrick’s “excellent” work, but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.

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But Carrick making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilising United following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.

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United’s latest victory came after an 11-day break since the first defeat of his reign at Newcastle and Carrick celebrated with a jig of delight on the touchline after Sesko wrapped up the points.

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Spluttering Villa have lost their last three league games and have just one win in seven top-flight matches, leaving them three points above fifth-placed Chelsea with eight games left in the battle for European places.

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After a lethargic first-half, United finally prised open the Villa defence in the 53rd minute.

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Bryan Mbeumo’s stinging strike was palmed away by Emiliano Martinez, earning a corner that brought the opener.

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Bruno Fernandes curled a corner to the near post and Casemiro made a perfectly timed run to glance a header past Martinez for his league goal this season.

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With Casemiro likely to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, United fans serenaded the Brazilian midfielder with chants of “one more year”.

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United lost focus and surrendered the lead in the 64th minute.

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In his first Premier League start for 14 months, Barkley slammed a superb strike past Senne Lammens from 12 yards after United failed to clear the danger.

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– Assist king Fernandes –

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But Cunha netted in the 71st minute to ensure Carrick’s men didn’t pay for their stumble.

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Bursting onto Fernandes’ sublime pass into the Villa area, the Brazilian forward slotted a fine finish into the far corner.

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It was Fernandes’ 16th Premier League assist this term, moving the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.

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He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.

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Sesko came off the bench to prove a point to Carrick after being dropped, the Slovenian striker firing home with a deflected effort in the 81st minute.

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Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw against Fulham at the City Ground.

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Still waiting for their first win under Vitor Pereira, fourth-bottom Forest, who have had four managers this term, are above third-bottom West Ham on goal difference.

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Ten-man Leeds held on for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s missed penalty and a bizarre red card for Gabriel Gudmundsson.

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Calvert-Lewin shot wide from the spot after Will Hughes’ handball, before Gudmundsson was sent off on the stroke of half-time.

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Gudmundsson had already been shown a yellow card when he committed another foul on Ismaila Sarr that referee Thomas Bramall deemed worthy of a booking.

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Bramall had forgotten the first booking before he was told through his earpiece to show the red card.

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Later on Sunday, troubled Tottenham head to Liverpool with only goal difference keeping them outside the relegation zone.

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Tottenham interim boss Igor Tudor has lost all four of his matches since replacing the sacked Thomas Frank.

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In grave danger of playing into the second tier for the first time since 1977-78, Tottenham are without a win in their last 11 league matches, losing five in a row.

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They suffered an embarrassing 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg in midweek.

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Sixth-placed Liverpool would go fourth with a victory that would push Tottenham deeper into the relegation mire.

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