U21s: Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa fell to defeat in Premier League 2 on Saturday afternoon, narrowly losing 2-1 to Manchester United at Carrington. 

Josep Gombau's under-21s trailed at the break thanks to Sam Mather's pinpoint first-half free-kick, though levelled matters quickly after the interval through Bradley Burrowes' close-range finish. 

But Mather's second of the game from the penalty spot with 25 minutes to go, after Lander Emery was adjudged to have fouled Ethan Wheatley inside the area, sealed the points for the hosts and sent Villa back to Birmingham empty handed. 

In a tight opening in Manchester, it was the hosts who fashioned the game’s first opportunity, when the ball broke for Wheatley in the box.

Emery was down quickly to deny the United forward, before moments later, Ethan Amundsen-Day headed a corner wide of the far post for Villa at the other end.

The Young Lions’ best chance of the first period came with 12 minutes on the clock, when George Hemmings won the ball back high up the field, robbing the United defence of possession, but could not direct his shot past Elyh Harrison in the hosts’ goal.

And Gombau’s charges would be made to rue the missed opportunity 12 minutes later, when the Red Devils hit the front, Mather stepping up and curling a superb free-kick off the post and in.

The Villans looked for a response in East Manchester, with Kadan Young causing the United defence problems. Half an hour was on the clock when he sent a teasing ball flashing across goal, with no one in Villa colours there to convert.

The Young Lions had taken control, and were enjoying the majority of the play as they aimed to level matters before half-time.

Burrowes was continuously running in behind and proving a nuisance for the home defence, who were doing just enough to thwart his advances, before Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba saw an effort deflected wide on the stroke of half-time, which arrived with the hosts still a goal to the good.

Villa began the second period how they had ended the first, and were applying pressure to the United backline in their search for a leveller. That search bore fruit just seven minutes after the restart. Jimoh-Aloba was found in behind and fired across goal for Burrowes, who made no mistake in sliding home into the empty net.

But the hosts responded well to falling behind, going back on the offensive, and edging back in front on 65 minutes. Lander Emery was adjudged to have fouled Wheatley inside the area when rushing off his line, and the referee pointed to the spot. Mather stepped up and emphatically sent the resulting penalty high into the net for his and his side’s second of the afternoon.

Gombau's side pushed for a second equaliser, with the introductions of Charlie Lutz, Charlie Pavey and Omar Khedr injecting an attacking spark, but the United defence stood firm and resolute to consign the Villans to a 2-1 defeat.