Bruno and United in a spot of bother
Fernandes misses late penalty as Villa grab shock win
CRISTIANO RONALDO failed to score for the first time since returning to Manchester United — and that was just the tip of the iceberg for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a sobering afternoon.
Aston Villa’s first win at Old Trafford since 2009 — and United’s first league defeat of the season — was earned by Kourtney Hause’s late header.
When Solskjaer’s team were handed a golden opportunity to save the game in injury-time, Bruno Fernandes blasted the opportunity into the Stretford End — while Ronaldo stood and watched.
Adding to the midweek Carabao Cup exit against West Ham, this was the first time United have failed to score in consecutive home games for 18 months.
In a title race expected to be closer than ever, dropped points at home are likely to be costly and injuries to Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire were also disruptive. It reduced Solskjaer to only one attacking change and he left that until the 82nd minute when Edinson Cavani was preferred to Jadon Sancho.
Even so, they could have got out of jail when Villa’s goal hero Hause handled in the box. After loud protests from Cavani in particular, referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot. Everyone in the ground waited to see if Ronaldo would try to take penalty duties from Fernandes, but he didn’t.
Maybe the pressure — and the delay caused by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and his teammates surrounding Fernandes and arguing with everyone in sight, including the officials — affected the midfielder.
The Portuguese boasted a superb record of 21 penalty conversions out of 22 for United prior to yesterday’s game. But instead of his usual stutter and jump, he ran up to the ball and hit it as hard as possible, over the crossbar.
Martinez was hugged by his jubilant Villa team-mates in the aftermath, presumably feeling his gamesmanship — he appeared to suggest Ronaldo should take the kick — had got into the United player’s head to the point where he didn’t have to make a save.
Solskjaer, who complained on Friday that United weren’t getting penalties, is in full Fergie mode at the moment, complaining Ollie Watkins was offside and interfering with David de Gea’s line of sight when Hause scored and that Villa players should have been booked for their pre-penalty antics.
But given the resources available to the likeable Norwegian, this is a season in which he has to deliver and this hasn’t been the best of starts. Wednesday’s Champions League game against Villarreal comes off the back of defeat to Young Boys in their opening group game. Yesterday, £73million winger Sancho didn’t even get a kick, remaining on the bench.
‘It is such a fine line between heaven and hell and unfortunately Bruno missed,’ said Solskjaer. ‘We should have slowed the game down at times. We didn’t have enough control even though we had 30 shots and 60-per-cent possession.’
For Villa, it was a win that finally put to rest the idea that they were the Jack Grealish team last season.
Manager Dean Smith trusted his three central defenders to keep United’s frontline quiet and allowed wing-backs Matt Cash and Matt Targett to push forward.
The matchwinner Hause (right) was only playing because loanee Axel Tuanzebe was ineligible to face his parent club.
‘We have had a lot of suffering at this stadium,’ said Smith. ‘This was a big performance and we deserved to win. We were aggressive and brave. What epitomised our gameplan was the chance we had with Cash crossing for Targett in their six-yard box. It showed our intent.’
United bossed a pulsating lunchtime game in terms of possession but Villa had the better chances.
The Fernandes-Ronaldo conundrum — and the fear one will diminish rather than enhance the other — was on display in the first half when United won two dangerous free-kicks. Fernandes took the first, Ronaldo the second, both after much discussion, and the taker hit the wall on each occasion.
Martinez saved from Mason Greenwood and his defenders regularly put their bodies on the line with blocks.
But Villa were always dangerous, too. Maguire’s dodgy back pass to De Gea was miscontrolled by the Spaniard who played it to Watkins. The goalkeeper then made amends by blocking the shot with his foot.
Cash gave Luke Shaw a torrid time before the England left-back limped off injured in 34 minutes.
Ronaldo was quiet and though fans loved the way he charged down Hause and blocked his clearance for a throw, it’s not why United signed the multiple Ballon d’Or winner.
A late home spurt before halftime saw Martinez save Maguire’s header and then Paul Pogba missed a header from close range after a flick-on by Raphael Varane. Temperatures were raised in the second period when the impressive John McGinn was shoved over by Maguire as he led a break, without a foul being given.
Maguire was then left aggrieved as he was tugged in the penalty box by Ezri Konsa. The United skipper departed soon after, having taken a kick on the Achilles by Danny Ings. United fans started chanting ‘Bring on Cavani’ but it wasn’t until eight minutes from time that Solskjaer introduced the Uruguayan striker.
Yet it was Villa who broke the deadlock after 88 minutes when Hause headed in Douglas Luiz’s corner and Watkins’ presence in the box went unnoticed.
‘Inconsistency,’ fumed Solskjaer, who compared it to Leicester’s disallowed goal against Brighton last weekend.
United’s potential lifeline came after 93 minutes via the whistle of referee Mike Dean. Martinez goaded and Fernandes missed. MANCHESTER UTD (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Wan Bissaka, Varane, Maguire (Lindelof 67); Shaw (Dalot 34); McTominay (Cavani 82), Fred; Greenwood, Fernandes, Pogba; Ronaldo.
Subs (not used): Martial, Lingard, Heaton, Sancho, Matic, van de Beek. Booked: Shaw, Fred.
ASTON VILLA (3-5-2): Martinez; Konsa, Hause, Mings; Cash, McGinn, Ramsey (Archer 86), Douglas Luiz, Targett; Ings (Buendia 78), Watkins.
Subs (not used): Steer, Traore, Young, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Chukwuemeka, Bogarde.
Booked: Cash, McGinn.
Referee: Mike Dean. Attendance: 72,922.