1 goal, 1 key pass, 100% aerial duels won: United star turned on the style vs Villa despite playing out of position

Manchester United thrashed Aston Villa 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday to take charge of the race for Champions League football. With the win, the Red Devils remained in third place in the Premier League table, but took a three-point lead over Unai Emery’s side. It was the home side who took the lead through Casemiro, but the visitors soon equalised through Ross Barkley in what was a dubious decision from the referee. Villa were on top at that stage of the game, and fans inside the Theatre of Dreams would have been slightly nervous given the team’s recent underwhelming performances and their loss to Newcastle last week. Mentality of the team has been top under Carrick However, under Michael Carrick, United have never thrown in the towel, and they fought back to score twice to put the game to bed through Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. United’s second came courtesy of Matheus Cunha, who finished off Bruno Fernandes’ inch-perfect pass expertly. With Ruben Amorim selling all the club’s wingers, Carrick has had no choice but to play the Brazilian on the left flank. He has naturally struggled in a couple of games, but his effort has never been wanting. Against the Villans, he was equally good without the ball as well. Matheus Cunha turning on the style from the left The 26-year-old won all his tackles, as well as all the aerial duels he contested. He also won one ground duel and recovered the ball four times. StatValue Minutes Played90 Goals1 Assists0 Expected Goals (xG)0.22 Expected Goals on Target (xGOT)0.47 Expected Assists (xA)0.01 xG + xA0.23 Non-penalty xG0.22 Accurate Passes27/37 (73%) Passes into Final Third6 Accurate Crosses0/7 (0%) Accurate Long Balls1/4 (25%) Chances Created1 Shots on Target1 Shots off Target1 Shot Accuracy1/2 (50%) Touches52 Touches in Opposition Box2 Successful Dribbles0/1 (0%) Dispossessed1 Defensive Contributions5 Tackles1 Blocks0 Clearances0 Interceptions0 Recoveries4 Dribbled Past0 Ground Duels Won1/3 (33%) Aerial Duels Won1/1 (100%) Was Fouled0 Fouls Committed0 Fantasy Points7 stats via fotmob Apart from his goal, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers ace could have grabbed an assist as well, creating a glorious chance early in the first half. He put in a tantalising cross that Amad failed to guide home. The Brazil international completed six passes into the final third, while finding a teammate with one cross (all stats via fotmob). Carrick will not only be delighted with Cunha for the goal, but also his selfless work out on the left. Not many will agree to play out of position every game, but he has done so without creating a fuss. Hopefully, United can sign a left winger next season so that the 20-time English league champions can unleash Matheus Cunha closer to goal. Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25