• Date: Sat 20 October 2007
  • Venue: Villa Park
  • Ref: Styles, R
  • Attendance: 42,640
Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Agbonlahor (13)

1 - 4
Manchester United

Manchester United

Rooney (36)

Rooney (44)

Ferdinand (45)

Giggs (75)

Aston Villa vs Manchester United

Team Lineups

Aston Villa

Scott Carson
Martin Laursen
Olof Mellberg
Zat Knight (Stuart Taylor, 67)
Wilfred Bouma
Gareth Barry
Craig Gardner (Shaun Maloney, 53)
Nigel Reo-Coker
Ashley Young, A
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Luke Moore (Isaiah Osbourne, 54)

Manchester United

Edwin van der Sar
Gerard Pique
Rio Ferdinand
Patrice Evra
Wes Brown
Paul Scholes (John O'Shea, 77)
Luis Carlos Nani
Luis de Abreu Anderson
Ryan Giggs (Cristiano Ronaldo, 77)
Carlos Tevez (Darren Fletcher, 73)
Wayne Rooney


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

FT: Aston Villa 1-4 Man United: A comfortable victory for United in the end against nine-man Villa who never got the chance to get going in the second half and it ended up as a bit of a procession.

90

Cristiano Ronaldo does fancy a goal after all and he launches a right-footed effort from range that Taylor beats away but its back to Ronaldo again and Taylor again makes a superb stop.

90

Two minutes of added time will be played.

89

Finally something for Villa fans to cheer as Rooney is nutmegged by the impressive Young and it looked like even the United striker enjoyed that.

87
Yellow Card
 

Nani receives a booking for a clumsy looking tackle on Agbonlahor in the closing stages.

86

It's party time football for United at Villa Park now as Rooney and Ronaldo in particular stride around the pitch showing their considerable array of talents.

83

Shaun Maloney takes a superb pass from Barry in his stride and looks to curl one into the top corner but he misjudges it and it drifts wide.

82

United look content with their days work and are not too interested in adding to their tally as Rooney and Ronaldo play some skillful keep ball.

79

Anderson has been quietly effective and his superb performance will most likely go unnoticed in the morning papers but he is starting to show the potential United invested in in the summer.

77
Substitution
 

A double change from United but it gets no easier for Villa as Ronaldo and O'Shea come on in place of Giggs and Scholes.

75
Goal
 

GOAL: Aston Villa 1-4 Man United (GIGGS) Ryan Giggs is the man to finally grab United's fourth as he drives into the box and his shot deflects off Laursen and into the back of the net.

72
Substitution
 

That is Tevez's last action as he is rested ahead of the trip to Kiev in midweek and Darren Fletcher comes on in his place.

71

Stuart Taylor is inspired as this time he denies Tevez a goal with a volleyed effort from the near post at point blank range.

69

Scholes now for a rampant United feeds the ball in to the edge of the box where Rooney is coming onto it and smahes it sweetly and this time he is denied by the crossbar.

67

And he has saved it! Rooney's penalty was soft and Taylor lunged down to palm it away and then Tevez's rebound is cleared off the line by Young.

65
Substitution
 

Stuart Taylor the goalkeeper is on now in place of Zat Knight and his first job will be to stop Wayne Rooney from completing a hat-trick.

65
Yellow Card
 

Ashley Young is then booked for dissent.

65
Red Card
 

Scott Carson is sent off for bringing down Carlos Tevez as the Argentine latched onto a ball from Rooney and Rob Styles had no choice.

64

Aston Villa actually seem to have been reinvigorated by the sending off but they are even more vulnerable on the break now.

62

Agbonlahor's pace continues to be a threat and he again gets away on the right and cuts it back for Osbourne who can only find Van Der Sar's gloves from the edge of the box.

61
Red Card
 

Nigel Reo-Coker rather stupidly slides in on another tackle and receives a second booking this time and he is off down the tunnel for an early bath.

60

With all due respect to Villa it is completely one-way traffic in this second half and you can only see more goals at one end.

57

Nani breaks quickly down the right hand side and turns the ball back across the edge of the box where Tevez is lining it up and Olof Mellberg is forced into a good block.

55

Agbonlahor shows his pace yet again as he sprints to beat Van Der Sar to the ball but as he tries to turn a shot goalwards Wes Brown appears to block comfortably and bring it away.

53
Substitution
 

Also coming off is Craig Gardner who will be replaced by Isaiah Osbourne on the right hand side.

53
Substitution
 

Here is a change for Villa as Luke Moore - who has been a bit quiet - is being replaced by Shaun Maloney.

50
Yellow Card
 

Reo-Coker has been booked for a foul on Nani that will see him suspended for the next game even at this stage of the season.

48

The break has interrupted what was a superb rhythm in the first half that probably worked against Villa as their attacking style played into United's hands.

Second half
 

The second half is underway and Villa will be looking to avoid the same start to this and ended the first half if they are to avoid a hammering at the ahnds of a United side growing in confidence.

Half time
 

HT:A Villa 1-2 Man Utd: Rooney turns the game on its head and after a bright Villa start it is United that hold a deserved lead and they look hugely impressive this evening.

45
Goal
 

GOAL: Aston Villa 1-3 Man United (FERDINAND) United look back to their best now and Pique's header is cleared off the line but Rio Ferdinand is there to bundle the ball over the line and now they lead by two.

43
Goal
 

GOAL:A Villa 1-2 Man Utd: (43mins) Tevez finds Rooney who controls brilliantly and passes it into the bottom corner. A superb goal from Rooney who is in awesome form right now.

42

Agbonlahor races into the box at great pace as ever and goes down and the crowd want a penalty but he appearred to trip himself and referee Styles clearly thinks that as he waves appeals away.

39
Yellow Card
 

Paul Scholes recevies his customary booking, however this is not for a trademark late challenge but this time dissent.

39

United are still the team on top and look hungry for a second goal as they win a corner that Villa take three attempts to clear.

36
Goal
 

GOAL: Aston Villa 1-1 Man United (ROONEY) Nani delivers a superb ball in to the edge of the six yard box and Rooney arrives to flick the ball past Carson to give United a deserved equaliser.

34

Mellberg finds himself in the final third and has an opening for a shot and takes it but he slices it wildly wide in a typical defender's fashion.

30

Ferdinand launches a superb ball long over the top of the Villa defence and Rooney tries to lob it first time over Carson but he fails to connect and the ball runs through to the keeper.

29

Young is again involved in a good Villa move as he whips a dangerous ball in that Laursen somehow fails to find the right touch to bundle it into the net.

27

Rooney and Tevez are getting plenty of the ball and they combine again here to play rings around the Villa defenders and only a superb defensive block from Laursen stops Tevez equalising.

25

The football from United is starting to flow and Tevez and Giggs line up a shot for Paul Scholes who hits it fractionally over the cross bar from outside the box.

22

Nani this time does well to manufacture a ball onto the chest of Tevez who brings it down but Gardner arrives from nowhere to prevent him getting a clean strike in on goal.

19

Evra now finds himself a long way forward on the left and Rooney rises at the back post to head it back for Nani to try the acrobatics but he can't control it and its over the bar.

18

Anderson works a wonderful ball in ebhind the Villa defence for Rooney to chase but Laursen gets across to block his attempted cross for Tevex and Villa clear.

16

Villa look rampant at the minute and Ashley Young is at the centre of everything and he tries his luck this time as he attempts to ebnd one from the edge of the box but it drifts high and wide.

12
Goal
 

GOAL: Aston Villa 1-0 Man United (AGBONLAHOR) Agbonlahor gets in behind Wes Brown to guide Ashley Young's inswinging cross past Van Der Sar at the near post.

11

Villa are now starting to get in the faces of the United players and Nani is forced off the ball by Reo-Coker and now Young looks for Barry who sadly scuffs his shot well wide of goal.

8

Ashley Young is arguably Villa's biggest threat and he shows why as he skips past Pique and looks to find Moore, who misses his backheel and it only just doesn't fall to Agbonlahor as Rio Ferdinand emerges with the ball.

7

It is all United in the opening stages as Nani now tries his luck from range and although he strikes it well he can only find the arms of Carson from 25 yards out.

4

Manchester United have an indirect free-kick in the box after Bouma nips the ball away from in front of Rooney and Carson picks it up, and Rooney flicks it into the air for Giggs who volleys it into the wall.

2

A pretty lively start at Villa Park here with both sides quick into the tackle and if the game contines at this pace then it promises to be an interesting one.

Kickoff
 

Rob Styles gets the game underway to a volley of noise from the Holte End on what is an important afternoon for both sides following the international break.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Pique, Brown, Ferdinand, Evra, Giggs, Anderson, Scholes, Nani, Tevez, Rooney

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Aston Villa: Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Gardner, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Agbonlahor, Moore

Awaiting Kickoff
 

As for the Champions, well Ronaldo is rested to the bench and Anderson earns a place in midfield alongside Scholes so this is a big test of United's young players once again, however Tevez and Rooney continue up front and they will be key.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Villa have enjoyed a good season so far and that was best illustrated by a convincing victory over Chelsea here and Ashley Young and Gareth Barry will be important today.

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Traditionally Manchester United enjoy playing at Villa Park but this evening promises to be tougher than recent times as Aston Villa are a dfferent, more vibrant animal this season.