Bruno Fernandes scored the game-winning goal as Manchester United defeated Aston Villa on Sunday to firmly establish their fourth-place position.
In a crucial step toward sealing a top-four finish, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday thanks to a goal from Bruno Fernandes, who hadn't scored in the Premier League in nearly three months.
United lost a two-goal advantage in the midweek stalemate with Spurs, which slightly derailed their momentum, but they picked up where they left off against a Villa team that was in danger of breaking into the top-four.
Villa, one of the Premier League's top teams since Unai Emery took over in October, came close to scoring early, but United earned the lead when Fernandes capitalized on Emiliano Martinez's dubious goalkeeping.
Even though United put Villa under a lot of pressure in the second half, they were ultimately dependent on Victor Lindelof's late goal-line clearing as they managed to hold on.
When Diogo Dalot pushed Emiliano Buendia's pass into the path of Alex Moreno in the 19th minute, David de Gea made a crucial save to keep United from conceding.
Nine minutes later, they came close to profiting from the let-off as Jadon Sancho set up Casemiro to strike the crossbar from 16 yards.
However, just before halftime, Fernandes managed to score by squeezing in from a narrow angle after Martinez was only able to parry Marcus Rashford's initial attempt.
Even while United maintained their lead after the break, their final pass was typically terrible, with Sancho and Christian Eriksen making particularly bad choices at vital times in the attacking third.
Villa nearly capitalized on the situation, but Lindelof headed Douglas Luiz's shot wide from below the bar, saving United from further pressure.
Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa: Fernandes ends goal drought to all but secure top-four finish.
Manchester United defeats Aston Villa 1-0 as Fernandes scores to almost guarantee a top-four position.
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