Aston Villa delivered a perfect early Christmas gift to their supporters, securing a tenth consecutive victory with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Manchester United at Villa Park. The hero of the hour was Morgan Rogers, whose two superb strikes ensured the Villans will spend Christmas Day firmly in third place, now seven points clear of Chelsea.
Rogers the Match-Winner in Frantic Encounter
The match began at a frantic pace, with both sides wasting early opportunities. United's Matheus Cunha fired wide inside three minutes, before Villa's Senne Lammens produced a fantastic double save to deny John McGinn and Ollie Watkins. Rogers then saw an inventive flick trickle just past the post.
The deadlock was broken in spectacular fashion on the stroke of half-time. Morgan Rogers collected the ball on the left, danced past several United defenders, and unleashed a glorious curling effort into the far top corner, sending Villa Park into raptures.
United's response was swift, however. Just three minutes later, Matty Cash was robbed of possession by Patrick Dorgu, who teed up Matheus Cunha to thunder an equaliser past Emiliano Martinez.
Villa Hold Firm for Crucial Three Points
The decisive moment arrived in the 58th minute. United failed to clear a low Youri Tielemans cross, and the ball fell perfectly for Rogers to sweep home another exquisite finish from the edge of the box. Manager Unai Emery's jubilant celebration, tearing off his jacket and throwing it into the air, said it all.
Cunha missed a golden chance to level again, heading Dorgu's cross into the ground and wide, as Villa professionally managed the remainder of the game to seal a 2-1 victory – their 11th win in 12 Premier League outings.
Aston Villa Player Ratings Analysis
Emiliano Martinez (8): Recovered from a first-half concussion scare to make several key saves, including a vital one-on-one stop.
Matty Cash (4): At fault for United's goal with a costly error and was often loose in possession.
Ezri Konsa (7): A solid defensive display, making a crucial block on a Bruno Fernandes effort.
Victor Lindelof (6): Marked his 200th Premier League appearance with a steady, unfussy performance.
Ian Maatsen (7): Intelligent defensively, making key interceptions, and offered a threat going forward.
Boubacar Kamara (5): Found the midfield battle scrappy and struggled to impose his usual control.
Amadou Onana (7): Physically dominant on his 50th Villa appearance, disrupting United's rhythm effectively.
John McGinn (8): Provided the assist for the opener with a superb pass and was a constant menace with his driving runs.
Morgan Rogers (9): The undisputed star. His two brilliant goals won the match, and he was a livewire throughout.
Youri Tielemans (7): Sparked several counters with well-timed tackles and passes, though his final ball was occasionally off.
Ollie Watkins (5): A quiet night by his standards, well-marshalled by United's defence, though he did assist the winning goal.
