Manchester United suffered a damaging 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa at a lively Villa Park as Unai Emery’s side gave their new manager the best welcome possible.
Cristiano Ronaldo captained United but the Portugal forward could only watch on as Villa took a quick-fire lead through Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne in the first 11 minutes.
A Jacob Ramsey own goal reduced the deficit for Erik ten Hag’s team but he redeemed himself with a fine finish in the 49th minute to give Emery victory in his first match in charge since his appointment last month.
It was also Villa’s first home league win against United in their last 24 attempts, a run stretching back to 1995.
Villa had the perfect start in the seventh minute when Bailey burst through and fired past David de Gea after being played in by Ramsey.
Things went from bad to worse for United when Digne doubled Villa’s lead just four minutes later with a fine left-footed free-kick.
But United were given hope just before half-time when Ramsey deflected Luke Shaw’s shot from distance past Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
Ramsey made up for that four minutes after the break when he side-footed past De Gea after running on to a ball from Ollie Watkins.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
Join Our WhatsApp Channel
