Aston Villa 1-1 MU: Falcao couldn't save the Red Devils

• December 21, 2014 08:16

Radamel Falcao opened the scoring after several days out with injury. But that goal could not help Man United extend their winning streak to 7 matches.

Falcao ghi bàn nhưng M.U không thể có chiến thắng

Falcao scores but MU cannot win

GOAL
Aston Villa: Benteke (18')
Man United: Falcao (53')

RED CARD
Aston Villa: Agbonlahor (66')

VIDEO: Aston Villa 1-1 MU

DEADLINE BECAUSE OF CONFUSION

Despite recovering from injury, Angel Di Maria still had to sit on the bench. Instead, coach Louis Van Gaal put all three attacking players Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Wayne Rooney on the field from the start. This was only the third time this season that Man United used the above attacking trio in the starting lineup. That made the Red Devils' attacks in the first half of the match quite disjointed, lacking coordination.

The biggest problem United faced at Villa Park was the ability to link up their attacking stars. Their two most advanced players, Van Persie and Falcao, rarely combined. Each played in his own way and often chose to shoot when in possession rather than pass to his partner. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney dropped too deep in the first half, so the pressure he created was negligible.

Benteke scored a beautiful opening goal

While struggling to find a way to approach the opponent's goal, Man United received a shock when Christian Benteke opened the score with a classy finish. The goal really stunned the Red Devils, and at the same time caused their students to sink into a deadlock.

FALCAO SPEAKS OUT

It was not until Louis Van Gaal replaced Darren Fletcher with Tyler Blackett after the break, and returned Michael Carrick to midfield, that United's attacking options became somewhat clearer. Thanks to Carrick's ball distribution, the Red Devils' attacks became more unpredictable. They constantly switched from attacking through the middle to attacking through the wings to disorient their opponents. That plan of Van Gaal was successful at the beginning of the second half, when Ashley Young broke free and passed inside for Falcao to head past Brad Guzan.

Falcao scores after long injury

The goal helped to ease the nerves of Van Gaal’s players. Not long after, the Red Devils were even more comfortable when the opponent had only 10 men on the field. The one who “helped” Man United was Gabriel Agbonlahor with a vicious tackle on Ashley Young that resulted in a red card.

Despite having one more player and being in high spirits, Man United still couldn't win. They were a bit hasty and lacked ideas to stretch the home team's dense defense. Even after sending Di Maria and young striker Wilson onto the field, the situation still didn't improve.

In the end, Man United shared the points 1-1 with Aston Villa. This draw not only broke the Red Devils' winning streak but also caused them to fall behind in the championship race with Chelsea and Man City.

LINEUP

Aston Villa:Guzan; Lowton, Okore, Vlaar, Cissokho (Bacuna 80'); Clark, Delph, Sanchez; Weimann (N'Zogbia 80'), Benteke, Agbonlahor.

Man United:De Gea, Jones, Carrick, Evans; Valencia (Wilson 74'), Fletcher (Blackett, 45'), Rooney, Young, Mata; Van Persie (Di Maria 61'), Falcao.

Aston Villa still score the fewest goals in the Premier League

Despite scoring against Man United, Aston Villa is still the club with the fewest goals in the Premier League this season. After round 17, the team from Central England has only scored 11 goals. On average, they only score 0.6 goals per game.