FALL GUY ASHLEY
Young hits the deck (again) as Villa sink without a fight
MANCHESTER United have a seventh successive win at home in the Barclays Premier League and once again lead their neighbours from across town by five points. From that point of view, this will have been a satisfying afternoon for Sir Alex Ferguson and his team.
For the neutrals, though, this was a day that served only to showcase the worst of our domestic game.
Ashley Young’s dive to win an important early penalty was a dreadful act. His manager called it a dramatic fall. It was actually a dive. It was Young’s second such effort in the space of a week and it is to be hoped he watched it on TV last night and felt a little embarrassed.
What was just as disappointing, though, was Aston Villa’s utter failure to make this game a contest. A big club with a rich history, Villa played like a team who never believed they could get anything yesterday. That reflects badly on them and indeed on the League. First, though, to the penalty. Villa manager Alex Mcleish described it as ‘soft’. That was an understatement.
Young attacked the Villa penalty area at speed and with devilish intent, skipping past Alan Hutton before arriving on the doorstep of Ciaran Clark. The Villa midfielder looked set to challenge Young but withdrew at the last moment, prompting Young to stand on his foot and go over like a Friday night drunk.
Having done a similar thing to win a penalty at home to QPR last week, it would appear that Young has not twigged just what this will be doing to his reputation. It would be an enormous surprise if Ferguson does not outline it starkly to him this week.
Young is not the only one, of course. Let us be clear about that. However, Ferguson was recently critical of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez’s tendency to go to ground and Young should be made aware that, once earned, bad reputations can be hard to shake.
United’s Wayne Rooney despatched the subsequent penalty without fuss and the leaders were on their way to straightforward victory.
Some may argue that United scored four anyway and that the penalty therefore does not matter. They are wrong. On days like this, teams can get a little edgy if the first goal doesn’t come and what Young and referee Mark Halsey combined to do was release any semblance of pressure.
Certainly, United were good value for their victory from that point on. Danny Welbeck saw a header blocked in the 17th minute before Villa goalkeeper Shay Given saved from Rooney at the near post.
Rooney then headed a chance wide after Michael Carrick had flicked on a corner, Welbeck had a shot blocked by James Collins and Paul Scholes crunched a stunning volley wide from 25 yards after Young dropped a corner on to his right foot.
For the most part, the football was being played in Villa’s half. They did break in the 28th minute to allow Stephen Ireland to curl a shot wide but United scored the decisive goal just before half-time. Captain Patrice Evra advanced down the left and when his low cross arrived, Collins and Nathan Baker appeared to let it pass them by. Welbeck arrived to prod the ball in at the far post.
Villa were missing some important players and had a youthful look. Nevertheless, this was a pretty lame effort.
In the second half, substitute Emile Heskey did see a header touched over by United goalkeeper David de Gea but the game drifted for a while before Rooney combined beautifully with Valencia down the right and prodded the ball in for his second goal of the day with the help of a slight deflection.
Rooney was taken off during the midweek defeat at Wigan and was a little out of sorts at times yesterday. Nevertheless, he still scored twice and now has 31 goals — nine of them penalties — for the season.
Valencia was denied by another smart save from Given before United did manage to score again in injury time, substitute Nani breaking clear to net at the Stretford End.
For United, the equation is now very simple. If they win their next two games they will be champions. They face Everton at Old Trafford on Sunday and City at the Etihad on Monday, April 30.
Clinching the title on City’s turf would certainly bring Ferguson and United an extra injection of pleasure. It is looking as though it will be a remarkable evening.
Yesterday, by contrast, was rather humdrum. If it is remembered at all, it will be for the wrong reasons.
i.ladyman@dailymail.co.uk