Manchester United v Aston Villa (2024-25)

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Players

Manchester United v Aston Villa (2024–25)

Manchester United Aston Villa 2 0
HT:0–0 Report
Event	Premier League 2024-25
Date	Sunday 25 May 2025
Venue	Old Trafford, Manchester United
Player of the Match	Amad Diallo
Referee	Thomas Bramall
Attendance	73,839
Weather	16 °C (60 °F)
← Man Utd - Spurs Aston Villa - Spurs Man Utd - Aston Villa - →

Manchester United v Aston Villa was a match which took place at Old Trafford on Sunday 25 May 2025. The match was shown live on at 4:00pm BST.

Team News

Manchester United

Manchester United remain without long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez.

Matthijs de Ligt was also missing from their Europa League final squad, but Leny Yoro, Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee all returned to action in Bilbao.

Aston Villa

Jacob Ramsey is available after suspension for Aston Villa but loanee Marcus Rashford is ineligible to face his parent club and has missed recent games through injury anyway.

Villa's player of the season Youri Tielemans could be ruled out once more because of a hamstring issue.

Match facts

Head-to-head

• Manchester United have beaten Aston Villa in 40 Premier League games. It's the second most one-sided fixture in Premier League history, behind United's 42 wins over Everton.
• Villa have only won twice in their past 39 competitive matches at Old Trafford, both by 1-0 in the league in 2009 and 2021.
• However, eight points from the past seven league meetings is as many as Aston Villa managed in the previous 31.

Manchester United

• Manchester United's tally of 20 defeats in all competitions is their most in a season since 1973-74, when they lost 22 times and were relegated from the top flight.
• They have conceded the opening goal in 31 games this season, more than any other Premier League side.
• This is only the third season in Manchester United's history in which they have failed to win back-to-back league matches, after 1893-94 and 1921-22.
• United are winless in their past eight Premier League fixtures (D2, L6), losing the last three. They last suffered four defeats in a row in the same season in February 1979.
• The Red Devils could lose as many as half of their league games in a season for the first time since 1933-34 in the second tier. They last did so in the top flight in 1930-31.
• However, United have won their final Premier League match of the season 22 times – second only to Arsenal's 23 – and only lost on four of 32 such occasions.
• Bruno Fernandes has scored a career-high seven goals against Aston Villa.

Aston Villa

• Aston Villa will secure Champions League qualification if they win and either Manchester City lose or Newcastle or Chelsea fail to win. A Villa draw would be enough if Newcastle lose.
• Unai Emery's side have earned an unrivalled 24 points since the beginning of March, winning eight of their nine Premier League matches during that period.
• They could register 20 top-flight victories in consecutive seasons for the first time in 94 years.
• Victory on Sunday would also set a club record tally of 69 points in a 38-game Premier League season.
• It's 32 wins in all competitions for Aston Villa in the current campaign – their most in a season as a top-flight club.
• However, they have won just once on the past 26 occasions their final league fixture of the season has come away from home, beating Chelsea 3-1 in 2002 (D7, L18).
• Manchester United are the only current team in the Premier League that Ollie Watkins has not scored against in the competition.

Match Report

Aston Villa had a goal controversially ruled out and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez sent off as they lost at Manchester United to miss out on a Champions League place.

With Newcastle losing 1-0 to Everton, 10-man Villa were on course to qualify for Europe's premier club competition before Amad Diallo scored a looping header from Bruno Fernandes' cross-field ball in the 76th minute.

That goal came just moments after Villa thought they had taken the lead when Morgan Rogers put the ball in the net.

But it did not count as the referee judged Rogers had kicked the ball out of goalkeeper Altay Bayindir's hands - and because he blew his whistle before it went into the net, the video assistant referee was unable to intervene.

A tweet from the Premier League match centre read: "The referee's call was a free-kick to Manchester United with Bayindir deemed to be in control of the ball before Rogers gained possession.

"The whistle was blown by the referee before the ball entered the goal, therefore the incident was not reviewable by the VAR."

Villa boss Unai Emery was clearly incensed at the decision, and was furious again when United were awarded a late penalty after Ian Maatsen brought down Diallo, with the departing Christian Eriksen scoring to seal the 2-0 victory.

Defeat means Villa, who had reached the Champions League quarter-finals this season, will be playing in the Europa League next season.

Villa's defeat allowed Newcastle to claim fifth place and a Champions League spot.

But Magpies legend Alan Shearer was among those to criticise the decision not to allow Rogers' goal.

"I think he got it awfully wrong - for Newcastle's benefit as they sneak into fifth position because of that," he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I imagine Unai Emery and Villa are raging. I understand what they [the laws] are, but even with Newcastle benefitting you have to feel for Aston Villa.

"That's not a decision that you want to go against you - particularly with what's at stake."

While Villa ended the season in sixth, United were 15th - their lowest finish since one season in the old Second Division in 1974-75.

Immediately after the final whistle, manager Ruben Amorim spoke to supporters from the pitch, saying: "First of all, I want to apologise for the season.

"Today after this disaster season, I want to tell you the good days are coming."

A 1-0 loss to Tottenham in Wednesday's Europa League final meant Amorim's side failed to qualify for Europe - the first time United will not have continental football since 2014-15 and only the second since 1990.

Amorim left goalkeeper Andre Onana, left-back Luke Shaw, winger Alejandro Garnacho and forward Joshua Zirkzee out of his matchday squad.

His side dominated the first half and Martinez made four vital saves in the opening 10 minutes - twice denying Mason Mount and also keeping out efforts from Fernandes and Casemiro.

Diogo Dalot, who came on for the injured Noussair Mazraoui, hit the left-hand post before being substituted himself at half-time, with Kobbie Mainoo coming on. With the man advantage, United dominated the opening stages of the second half.

The frustration was growing around Old Trafford, though - summed up by Amorim kicking a water bottle in annoyance as Casemiro's curled effort bounced off the upright, with the manager getting a warning from the fourth official.

But the late goals from Diallo and Eriksen at least meant the season ended on a positive note for United.

Match

Details

25 May 2025 16:00 BST 16 °C (60 °F) live on	Manchester United	2–0	Aston Villa	Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 73,839 Referee: Thomas Bramall
	Diallo  76' Eriksen  87' (pen.)	HT:0–0 Report	Martínez  45+1'

Manchester United

Aston Villa

01 Altay Bayındır 02 Victor Lindelöf 05 Harry Maguire 26 Ayden Heaven 66' 03 Noussair Mazraoui 20' 08 Bruno Fernandes 18 Casemiro 90+4' 13 Patrick Dorgu 16 Amad Diallo 45+1' 07 Mason Mount 66' 09 Rasmus Højlund 81' Substitutes: 14 Christian Eriksen 66' 20 Diogo Dalot 20' 45' 22 Tom Heaton 25 Manuel Ugarte 35 Jonny Evans 66' 37 Kobbie Mainoo 45' 43 Toby Collyer 55 Tyler Fredricson 56 Chido Obi 81' Manager: Ruben Amorim

23 Emiliano Martínez  45+1' 02 Matty Cash 04 Ezri Konsa 14 Pau Torres 73' 22 Ian Maatsen 44 Boubacar Kamara 84' 24 Amadou Onana 63' 27 Morgan Rogers 84' 80' 21 Marco Asensio 45+4' 07 John McGinn 62' 11 Ollie Watkins Substitutes: 05 Tyrone Mings 06 Ross Barkley 84' 08 Youri Tielemans 62' 12 Lucas Digne 16 Andrés García 17 Donyell Malen 84' 25 Robin Olsen 45+4' 31 Leon Bailey 41 Jacob Ramsey 63' Manager: Unai Emery

Man of the Match: Amad Diallo Assistant referees: Eddie Smart Akil Howson Fourth official: Anthony Backhouse VAR: Stuart Attwell Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time or penalties. Three points awarded to winner, none to loser. One point awarded to each in the event of a draw. Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions

Match Stats

Manchester United	Aston Villa

Possession ball
67%	33%

Shots
26	6

Shots on target
10	1

Corners
4	3

Fouls
10	10

See also

• 2024–25 Premier League: Match day 38

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at Premier League.com

v

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Premier League

2023–24

FA Cup

2021–22