MU falls behind in the race for the Premier League top 4

(Football results) - Manchester United lost 1-2 away to Aston Villa in the 17th Premier League round, thus failing to keep up with the top 4 and slipping to seventh position.

In the early hours of December 22 (Vietnam time), Manchester United visited Aston Villa at Villa Park for the 17th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Despite their efforts, the Red Devils had to accept a 1-2 loss against a high-flying opponent near the top of the table.

Right after referee Michael Oliver’s whistle, Aston Villa started aggressively. Morgan Rogers and John McGinn repeatedly troubled the visitors’ defense with fast penetrations. In the 8th minute, Rogers and then McGinn took shots inside the box, forcing goalkeeper Senne Lammens to make impressive saves. On the other side, Manchester United quickly responded with Matheus Cunha’s shot narrowly missing the post in the 3rd minute, signaling an open game.

After a period of back-and-forth play, the first half’s turning point came at 45+1 minutes. From a quick combination, Morgan Rogers received a perfect pass and fired a decisive shot into the top corner, putting Aston Villa ahead 1-0. However, the home side’s joy was short-lived. Just two minutes later, Villa’s defense made a critical error, allowing Matheus Cunha to steal the ball and calmly finish to equalize at 1-1 for Manchester United.

At the start of the second half, coach Ruben Amorim made an early substitution by bringing Lisandro Martinez on. The Red Devils played more proactively, creating several dangerous chances through Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, and Cunha himself, but lacked precision in the final touches.

In a tightly contested match, Aston Villa demonstrated the resilience of a title contender. In the 58th minute, Ollie Watkins delivered a clever assist for Morgan Rogers to complete his brace with a cool finish inside the box, making it 2-1. In the remaining minutes, Manchester United pushed forward seeking an equalizer, notably Cunha’s powerful long-range shot in the 86th minute, which was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

In the end, Aston Villa held on to their 2-1 victory. This result keeps Unai Emery’s team solidly in third place with 36 points, just three behind league leaders Arsenal. Meanwhile, Manchester United dropped to seventh with 26 points, missing the chance to close in on the top 4 and facing increased pressure in the upcoming stages of the season.