Jack Grealish Scores a Superb Solo Goal as Manchester United Drop Points Yet again

Manchester United let yet another lead slip to draw their match against Aston Villa on a day where Jack Grealish stunned them with a superb solo goal.

Grealish’s solo effort put Aston Villa in front in the 11th minute, before Marcus Rashford‘s header hit the post and came off Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton into his own net.

“It was a super goal but that’s what I’ve come to expect from him,” said Villa manager Dean Smith. “I thought the first 30 minutes he was running the game.

“But then he missed a chance he would have scored 99 times out of 100 and they go up the other end and score.”

Starting the second half level on goals, United were the first to score through a Victor Lindelof header, but could remain in front for only two minutes, when Tyrone Mings scored a goal that secured a point for Villa.

“I wouldn’t be sat here talking about us sitting fifth if we had got that goal extra,” Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said after the match.

“The league table at this point is not the biggest concern, it’s so tight. I just need to make sure we get performances and get three or four performances and results after each other.

“What I can say is so far we have had the lead in so many games and haven’t been able to win those games. Six or seven times we have been up and we should be better at seeing these games into wins.”

Since being appointed as the permanent manager during the last season, Soslkjaer managed to win just six out of 22 matches. The recent results have raised speculations of his sacking being very near.

“I think there’s loads of evidence these boys are closer to winning games than losing games,” he said. “To tip margins in our favour we’ve got to work on different things. The first half wasn’t good enough. I am disappointed in that because all the [regularly selected] boys stayed here, while the young boys went over to Kazakhstan [last week to play Astana].

“We didn’t go out together [against Villa] as a team. We should have done better. These boys will learn and improve. Sometimes inconsistency will happen with young boys. We have to become a better unit. Aston Villa had too many counterattacks for my liking.”

Match highlights: