Manchester United vs Aston Villa: 3 things we learned

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: Raphael Varane of Manchester United holds off Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford on January 10, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: Raphael Varane of Manchester United holds off Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford on January 10, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
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Manchester United are through to the next round of the FA Cup and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most. Scott McTominay rose to the occasion to hand the Red Devils an early lead and fortunately, they managed to hold on this time around with the defence keeping a clean sheet. But the performance against Aston Villa left a lot to be desired once again.

One could argue that Aston Villa were the better team on this occasion and that has not been a rare occurrence in Manchester United’s recent games.

It might be a good idea to look at the positives though and Manchester United still find themselves competing for the FA Cup, which is their best chance at getting some silverware this season at this point of time.

And while questions will be raised about their performances under the management of Ralf Rangnick, it must be said that the results have improved a lot and this is the type of game that they might have lost earlier on in the campaign.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa: 3 things we learned

Here are three things that we learned from Manchester United’s FA Cup third round game against Aston Villa at Old Trafford:

Manchester United got a bit lucky

Manchester United
Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Luck is a big part of any sport and Manchester United definitely had it on their side on this occasion.

Aston Villa were probably the better team on the night but had nothing to show for it. They could have scored easily on this occasion but it was just not to be for them and the result could have been different on another day.

On the other hand, Manchester United must be happy with the win and their move into the next round of the FA Cup. They will know though that they need to improve if they are to keep advancing in the competition.