Hause on fire as Fernandes penalty miss costs United

Bruno Fernandes missed an injury time penalty as Manchester United slumped to a home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (centre) reacts after missing a late penalty kick during the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Saturday September 25, 2021. PA Photo.  Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire. 

Premier League: Manchester United 0 Aston Villa 1

FOR the second league game in succession Manchester United endured late penalty drama only this time Bruno Fernandes’s astonishing injury-time penalty miss condemned them to a home defeat.

Kortney Hause had produced an 87th-minute header that earned Villa a dramatic, if thoroughly deserved, lead at Old Trafford only for a Fernandes cross to strike him on the arm three minutes later and leave referee Mike Dean pointing to the spot.

Despite the obvious attendance of Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernandes took the kick himself and cleared the crossbar by an astonishing margin, much to the relief of Hause.

His goal had come directly from a Douglas Luiz corner which, having slipped his marker Edinson Cavani, Hause met with a brilliant glancing finish from the corner of the six-yard area.

It was United’s third defeat in four league and cup games, a run punctuated by the dramatic victory at West Ham last weekend when the opposition themselves missed a last-second penalty attempt.

But for all the feel-good factor that appeared to surround United, Solskjaer’s team produced an uninspired performance in which the best openings fell to the visitors.

Matt Targett missed a brilliant Matty Cash cross at the far post and then Harry Maguire’s poor back pass played David de Gea into trouble and the goalkeeper, at full stretch, passed directly to Ollie Watkins.

Possibly surprised by such ineptitude, the Villa striker could only shoot directly at the relieved de Gea who blocked with his legs.

The closest to an early opening for the home side came on 17 minutes when Paul Pogba’s incisive pass played in Mason Greenwood who shot tamely at Emiliano Martinez when a square ball to the unmarked Fernandes appeared the better option.

Fernandes, at least, was more productive from a couple of corners late in the first half, the first of which saw Martinez save well from a Maguire header; the latter resulting in a powerful Pogba header just off target.

But it was Villa who opened the second half in far more threatening form, with individual errors increasingly undermining United’s efforts.

Maguire lifted the atmosphere when he scuffled with Esri Konsa after the pair had wrestled at a corner but Maguire was forced off through injury, as Luke Shaw had been in the first half.

The long ball for Greenwood remained United’s best, if not only, option while Villa looked the more threatening team on the break. One such move ended with Emiliano Buendia setting up Jacob Ramsey for a glorious chance only for the Villa man to fall over.

Man United (4-2-3-1): De Gea 5; Wan-Bissaka 5, Varane 7, Maguire 6 (Lindelof 66 mins, 6), Shaw 5 (D Dalot 34, 6); McTominay 6, Fred 5; Greenwood 8, Fernandes 7, Pogba 6; Ronaldo 6. 

Substitutes (not used): Martial, Lingard, Cavani, Heaton, Sancho, Matic.

Aston Villa (5-3-2): Martinez 7; Cash 7, Konsa 7, Hause 7, Mings 7, Targett 6; Ramsey 6, Luiz 7, McGinn 9; Ings 6 (Buendia 77), Watkins 8. 

Substitutes (not used): Steer, Traore, Young, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Chukwuemeka, Archer, Bogarde.

Referee: M Dean 7