Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa: 3 Talking Points

Manchester United struggled to beat Aston Villa, the Premier League’s worst team, on Saturday.

Manchester United labored to a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa, briefly narrowing the gap to the top four to a point before Manchester City dismantled Chelsea.

The Red Devils clung to their one goal margin that began when Marcus Rashford scored his fourth league goal of the season in the 32nd minute. A pinpoint long ball from Wayne Rooney off a free kick sent Antonio Valencia clear into space on the right side, where he sent in a low driven cross. Rashford redirected the cross past Brad Guzan for what would be the game’s only goal.

Despite securing the three points, it was a disappointing result for Manchester United. A club of their might should have easily dispatched Aston Villa by a few goals; though the home side looked comfortable for much of the match, the result was in jeopardy towards the end. Louis van Gaal was saved by the woodwork and a fully stretched David de Gea.

The following are the three talking points from the important, albeit uninteresting, Manchester United victory at Old Trafford.

Wayne Rooney looks destined to be the no. 10

In his first start back after an extended injury, the skipper operated with freedom and ease just behind Rashford. Rooney consistently led the attack by staying central and pinging long balls to the opposite flanks to switch the point of attack. In his 67 minutes of action, the English international pulled the strings with an 85% pass success rate. But, more important than his accuracy was his willingness to try the long, switching pass rather than the safe back pass.

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As his legs tire with age, Rooney’s Manchester United career should end in a midfield position. The 30-year-old has been a long standing servant to the club as a striker, but those days look to be in the past. Even after months away from the action, he looked to be the best passer in the team despite a relatively open Aston Villa defense.

United need a set-piece specialist

Manchester United had 14 corners, most of which were taken short and none of which found the net. Either Daley Blind or Morgan Schneiderlin took the set pieces from the corner, but their delivery into the box rarely found a teammates head. From direct free kicks, Memphis Depay took both chances from striking distance, but neither troubled Guzan.