Collins: We should have won

Aston Villa defender James Collins admitted his side should have beaten Manchester United after leading the game 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.

An Ashley Young penalty and a close-range finish by Marc Albrighton had put Villa in charge but late goals from Federico Macheda and Nemanja Vidic earned United a point.

That leaves Alex Ferguson’s side three points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea who play Sunderland tomorrow.

Collins told Sky Sports 2: “We should have won the game (at) 2-0 up. The boys played fantastic.

“The second goal has killed us. We had a lot of chances against United.”

Albrighton paid tribute to his team-mates after picking up the man-of-the-match award.

He said: “Every player on that pitch in a Villa shirt did absolute wonders.

“We missed a few chances and you can’t do that against a team like Man Utd.”

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier was disappointed his side had allowed Untied back into the game.

He said: “It’s Manchester United and even at 2-0 you are not safe.

“I think the first goal, which was a fantastic goal, gave them a big boost of confidence.

“We’ve created a lot of chances but we didn’t manage to put it in the back of the net and I was disappointed for the lads.

“For some of them starting against Manchester Untied it’s a real dream.”