Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has described his club’s win away from home at Aston Villa as a big win.
Manchester United travelled to Villa Park looking for three points to edge closer to the top five of the Premier League. Villa, on the other hand, needed the three points to stave off the visiting Red Devils from usurping them in fifth place. Both teams were playing to secure their places in the top five of the 2023/24 Premier League season for a chance at a group stage ticket to the UEFA Champions League next season.
Rasmus Højlund, who has now found his scoring boots for the 20-time league champions, opened the scoring in the 17th minute for his fifth goal in as many games. Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz equalised for the hosts before Scott McTominay came off the bench to clinch all three points for the visitors.
In all of this, the much-maligned André Onana did his best to make sure that United had a fighting chance while the rest of the team rallied to penetrate the Birmingham-based team until McTominay’s winner.
The outcome of United’s last few games has helped ten Hag deal with less criticism of late. A loss to Villa could have woken the sleeping dogs but the Dutchman has been spared once again.
With that realisation and with the realisation that it is possible to earn Champions League football despite a below-average season, the manager took to the media to express relief and joy over “a massive win”.
“It was massive. It’s a massive win for us. So, we get closer. And that was the aim for today and was absolutely our target,” ten Hag said. “And we did it. And I think also the way we did it, I think I liked it, and of course, I liked especially the first 20 minutes. And when we are dictating the game, after I think we are dropping a little bit too much.
“We had our moments in the counterattacks, but yeah, I think then at 1-1, to fight back, we are really happy for today.”
The former AFC Ajax manager did not enjoy the fact that his club had to play catchup for the rest of the game having dominated the first 20 minutes of the match. He questioned his players’ mentality in light of this and hinted that it will be worked on.
He said: “I think our defensive organisation was, in the first part, very good. And once we were winning, then we changed our mindset. For me, you should play on and you can do this when a game is going to the end and to play out the result. But when you show you are dictating the first 20 minutes and you score, why not keep going?”
United’s next opponents are Luton Town, which will give them a chance to cut Villa’s lead to two while they hope that Villa fall to Fulham.
