Source: Telegraph
Manchester United 0 Aston Villa 1: match report
In an extended audition for Fabio Capello's favour, it was young pretender Gabriel Agbonlahor who rose higher and ran further than any England rivals with sights on South Africa. The contrast between the 23-year old's dynamism and Michael Owen's bluntness was inescapable as Aston Villa put a grievous dent in Manchester United's ambitions of a fourth successive league title. Related ArticlesChelsea 3 Everton 3Tottenham Hotspur 0 Wolves 1Bolton Wanderers 3 Manchester City 3Birmingham City 1 West Ham United 0Premier League actionPremier League tableFour defeats before Christmas do not, whatever might be said about the openness of this year's race, represent the form of champions-elect. But the failure to capitalise on Chelsea's earlier lapse told as much about United's strange flakiness as it did about Villa's hardening resolve to grasp their best chance for many seasons to infltrate the top four. In last season's frantic climax, this fixture had engendered a decisive shift in momentum for United, with debutant Federico Maceda scoring the latest of winning goals. This time, however, the pursuit of a memorable comeback was thwarted. All was not gloomy for United. If Ryan Giggs is to be garlanded as BBC Sports Personality of the Year, this was some final affirmation of his credentials, the veteran producing all manner of clever moves and feints in an energetic first-half display. The midfield gang of three, with Giggs shepherded by Antonio Valencia and Ji-Sung Park, were a consistent menace to Villa and it was a surprise they could not make their dominance tell. But United's ascendancy was checked by an inspired piece of Villa interplay, as Ashley Young, outsmarting Darren Fletcher, swung in a sublime cross for Agbonlahor to angle beyond Tomasz Kuszczak. As an exhibition of the attacking enterprise cultivated by Martin O'Neill, this was emphatic, the move executed with a speed that made even Nemanja Vidic look inert. It was not in Villa's nature, either, to sit steadfastly upon their lead. The chase for a second began immediately and Richard Dunne almost fulfilled it, the centre-back managing the impressive feat of outjumping Vidic for a firm header that Kuszczak blocked. Agbonlahor, too, was relentless, bearing down on goal and seeking to square a ball for Emile Heskey, before the besieged United goalkeeper became wise to the task. Wayne Rooney, feeling left out of such vibrant goalmouth activity, was notcovering himself in glory. The England striker, who could well be paired with Heskey at the World Cup next summer, ended an exciting break down the left with a dreadful dive, flying towards the advertising hoardings when his marker, Luke Young, had been feet away from catching him. Atonement nearly arrived within two minutes when Rooney, seizing on a deft flick from Patrice Evra, turned and crashed a thunderous shot off the underside of Brad Friedel's bar - the frame of the goal was still shaking after the ball had been kicked out of play. Such were the riveting fluctuations of this match that Villa needed no invitation to respond in kind, Ashley Young delivering a dangerous through-ball that ricocheted off Vidic to gasps from the Stretford End. Heskey was one of the few strikers to toil on a torrid night for both back fours. The 31-year old betrayed all the frayed confidence of a man who has scored just twice in 21 appearances for club and country, when he could do nothing to evade the attentions of Michael Carrick when it looked easier to score. Can Fabio Capello afford to invest so much in one whose form is so spasmodic? One who has inveigled his way back into Capello's calculations is Michael Owen, who, to no one's great shock, replaced Giggs as Sir Alex Ferguson looked for a quick fix. But it was too much to expect the flourishes of his hat-trick against Wolfsburg five days ago to be instantly repeated, as Carrick increasingly carried United's attack. The reshuffle redoubled when Dimitar Berbatov ambled on in place of Park, while the ineffectual Anderson made way for free-scoring Darron Gibson. Still, though, United appeared oddly toothless, as Berbatov miscued a volley from six yards out. Valencia was a similar enigma, rarely putting the ball past the first man with his corners. Ultimately, Martin O'Neill could not resist some tinkering of his own, sending on John Carew to shore up Villa's winning position. "Attack", the United supporters beseeched, but Villa were not about to be denied. Vidic came close to obliging, as his header was cleared off the line by Stewart Downing. So did Berbatov, whose strike brought a strong save from Friedel. But O'Neill's men, anchored by the indefatigable James Milner, neutered what was left of United's threat.