Manchester United 3-2 Aston Villa

Aston Villa fell to a 3-2 Boxing Day defeat at Manchester United having held at two-goal advantage at the break.  

Two goals in five minutes midway through the first half put Villa firmly in control at Old Trafford as John McGinn’s free-kick evaded everyone and Leander Dendoncker registered his first goal for the club with an instinctive flick from close range.

But Alejandro Garnacho turned the encounter in the hosts’ favour after the restart as, having already seen a strike ruled out by VAR, he bagged a second-half brace to level the clash in the 71^st minute.

Rasmus Hojlund then volleyed home the winner off the inside of a post with eight minutes remaining to complete the turnaround and end Villa’s seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.

It was only the club’s second defeat in the last 15 league games and marked the halfway point in the 2023/24 campaign, with Villa sitting third in the table.

Unai Emery made two changes to the side who started Friday night’s 1-1 draw against Sheffield United, Dendoncker and Diego Carlos returning as Matty Cash served a one-match suspension and Moussa Diaby was named among the substitutes.

Recent history was on Villa’s side having won two and drawn one of their previous four league meetings, as many victories as they had registered in their previous 51 encounters.

And the visitors made a positive start in the opening exchanges, albeit Emi Martínez forced to save the only attempt on target when he comfortably collected from Christian Eriksen.

Yet all that changed with 21 minutes on the clock as McGinn’s inswinging free-kick evaded everyone in a busy penalty area and nestled beyond Andre Onana.

The visitors were in dreamland five minutes later as McGinn’s deep corner was nodded back across goal by Clément Lenglet and Dendoncker converted from close range.

Martínez twice got down well to deny Marcus Rashford as the hosts applied pressure, but it was Villa who held a commanding two-goal advantage at the break.

United thought they had reduced the arrears three minutes after the restart as Garnacho latched on to Rashford’s pass, rounded Martínez and converted, only to see it ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

But the home side did pull one back just before the hour as Rashford and Garnacho again combined for the latter to slot home at the back post.

Onana saved from Leon Bailey at the other end before Garnacho drilled a low effort across goal as United posed a greater attacking threat after the restart.

And it was the hosts who levelled in the 71^st minute as Garnacho’s shot deflected off Carlos and wrong-footed Martínez.

Villa responded on the front foot and McGinn’s goalbound effort was blocked by Jonny Evans, before head coach Emery, with just under 15 minutes remaining, turned to Diaby and Nicolò Zaniolo, who stepped off the bench to level late on against Sheffield United four days earlier.

Yet it was the hosts who clinched all three points when Hojlund pounced on a half-cleared corner and sent a volley off the woodwork and in, inflicting defeat on the Villans who could find no way back.