Rogers strikes twice to sink Man Utd and set new Aston Villa club record
Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over Manchester United was their 10th straight win in all competitions. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.
Two finishes from Morgan Rogers fit to decide any game, let alone one which saw Aston Villa set a new club record with their 10th straight win in all competitions, stalled Manchester United’s recent progress under Ruben Amorim and confirmed Unai Emery’s side as genuine dark horses for the Premier League title.
Rogers embellished his England credentials by claiming a brace for the second match in a row, first sweeping home in eye-catching fashion before coolly cancelling out Matheus Cunha’s equaliser.
The result saw Villa surpass the achievement of George Ramsey’s legendary team in 1914 and moved them to within three points of leaders Arsenal ahead of the festive period.
Even the usually guarded Emery will now find it difficult to remove Villa’s name from the championship conversation, as Rogers’ form continues to make up for their relative lack of squad depth.
For Kobbie Mainoo, Amorim’s final squad selection before Christmas was confirmation he should spend the festive period searching for suitable employment elsewhere. Despite losing Casemiro to suspension and also being without Bryan Mbeumo and Amad because of their Africa Cup of Nations commitments, the Portuguese elected against even naming the youngster on the bench.
United insisted Mainoo’s absence could be attributed to a minor knock sustained during training but half-brother Jordan, whose t-shirt urging Amorim to “Free” his relative was probably already halfway to the printers by the time Cunha, who clearly does have a future at the club, drove just past Emiliano Martinez’s left hand post during the opening seconds of the game.
With Manuel Ugarte proving ineffective in a deeper lying role, that threatened to be about as good as it got for United until Villa’s lapses in concentration ensured they stayed in the game.
After John McGinn and Ollie Watkins had both been thwarted by Senne Lammens in quick succession, Rogers finally fired Villa ahead on the cusp of half-time. John McGinn’s raking pass found the England international lurking on the touchline and, with United’s rearguard either unwilling or unable to close him down, he drifted across the pitch before caressing the ball into the far corner of the Belgian’s net.
However, moments later, Matty Cash’s dithering saw him dispossessed by Patrick Dorgu which created the opportunity for Cunha to equalise.
Rogers spared his team-mate’s blushes just before the hour, beating Lammens again after Youri Tielemans’ cross was not cleared.
United saw substitute Lisandro Martinez go close before Cunha inexplicably headed wide from close range but could not avert slipping to only their second defeat in 11 outings.
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