Aston Villa 0-1 Man Utd: Januzaj overshadows new recruits

The Belgian midfielder's early goal earned Man Utd three points in a struggling early match in the second round of the Premier League on August 14.

Januzaj (middle) scored the only goal of the match. Photo: IH.

On the positive side, Man Utd had their second consecutive win with a clean sheet. The defence played well against the aerial and confrontational attacks of the home team Aston Villa. Chris Smalling played a significant role in that. Although the attack did not create many dangerous chances, winning the match with a goal was still enough to help Man Utd gain three more points to temporarily climb to the top. An ugly or hard-fought victory is not too bad, for the first days of the season.

But there are still concerns in the way Man Utd play, even though they have brought in a series of stars. Only Juan Mata stands out in the attack, while Memphis Depay has not shown the necessary sharpness. Captain Wayne Rooney had a day to forget: bad passes, no chances, seemingly disappearing on the field.

In another match, the "Red Devils" could have been punished for a lack of ideas in the attack. But on August 14, Louis Van Gaal and his students smiled with victory.

Adnan Januzaj, in his first start of the season, impressed with the only goal. The Belgian midfielder handled the ball, passed the defender and finished the shot neatly.

This is the 20th consecutive match in the Premier League that Man Utd have not lost to Aston Villa.

In the first half, Man Utd dominated. In the second half, Aston Villa tried to find opportunities. Overall, Van Gaal's team still played better, controlling 55% of the time, and had some really dangerous plays.

Sergio Romero, who replaced the out-of-form David De Gea, had a relatively easy day. The home side mainly attacked the flanks and crossed for the strikers to head in. These were easily cleared by the Man Utd defence.

Rooney played the worst in the Man Utd squad. Photo: Reuters.

The visitors had their first dangerous attack in the 16th minute, when Morgan Schneiderlin ran down a Depay free-kick. But the new Man Utd player, unmarked, headed the ball over the bar.

In the following minutes, the team from Manchester completely dominated the field with opportunities from Depay and Carrick. In the 29th minute, the goal came as if it was inevitable.

Mata and Luke Shaw combined on the left flank, before the Spaniard sent a pass that split the Villa defence. Januzaj moved well to receive the ball. The Belgian dribbled past a Villa player and fired a shot that hit another defender, hit the post and went into the net. Januzaj celebrated his goal without hesitation.

Line-up

Aston Villa (4-3-3):Guzan; Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi; Veretout, Gueye, Westwood; Agbonlahor, Ayew, Sinclair (Gestede)

Manchester United (4-2-3-1):Romero; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Carrick (Schweinsteiger 60), Schneiderlin; Mata, Januzaj (Herrera 60), Depay (Young 82); Rooney

According to VNE