Morgan Rogers has praised Manchester United’s performance at Villa Park, following his impressive display to take all three points.
Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for Rúben Amorim in Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday. Going into the game, United had a threadbare squad to choose from, due to suspensions, injuries and AFCON.
United fans were probably fearing the worst leading up to the game against high-flying Villa, and their worries would have only increased when, surprisingly, Kobbie Mainoo did not appear in the squad at all, and the bench was comprised of several academy youngsters.
The first half was relatively even, and Morgan Rogers broke the deadlock with a fabulous strike, but United quickly hit back when Matheus Cunha found the back of the net in additional time of the first 45.
Bruno Fernandes was replaced at halftime with Lisandro Martínez due to an injury, a problem that is certain to cause Amorim a fair few headaches if the injury is serious.
The second half saw Villa take the lead once again through yet another Rogers strike, and although United pressed Unai Emery’s side, the match ended 2-1.
It’s a result that sees the Red Devils slip 10 points behind the Villans, and it will leave a sour taste in the mouths of a fair few United fans before their Christmas dinner.
Rogers on United’s performance
The standout performer of the match had to be Morgan Rogers, who produced two moments of magic to secure all three points for his side at Villa Park. The 23-year-old looked dangerous each time he got the ball and was the vocal point of every attack.
Aston Villa had not beaten United since 2022, a record which was broken on Sunday, as well as extending their winning run to 10 games on the spin.
When speaking to Sky Sports following the game, Rogers was full of praise for Amorim’s side and the stature of the Red Devils: “Every game is important. There is no bigger team than United, and they came here to play.
“They are a tough team to play against, and we don’t have a good record against them recently. We wanted to put it right, and we are happy with the three points.”
The England international seemed to overshadow most of United’s attack, arguably aside from Matheus Cunha, who should have also had a brace after missing a golden opportunity to level the game in the second half.
Amorim’s wake-up call?
As United look forward to Boxing Day and beyond, fans would hope that Sunday’s result could be a wake-up call to Amorim regarding his midfield, especially after the injury to his captain, Bruno Fernandes.
United conceded a Morgan Rogers goal when Bruno was both on and off the pitch, and during the second half of the game, neither Casemiro nor Fernandes were on the pitch for the first time in many games.
Lisandro Martinez had a solid performance and did the basics well, with many of United’s attacks starting from him playing progressive passes through the midfield. Kobbie Mainoo’s absence has left many fans dumbfounded, and more details on this are sure to come out in the following days.
However, Martinez’s performance during the second half should hopefully show Amorim that different partnerships are viable and the Portuguese coach can start to experiment in 2026.
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