Aston Villa 0-0 Man Utd LIVE: Score, Premier League latest, Red Devils could break record

ASTON VILLA 0-0 MAN UTD

Aston Villa XI: Reina, Konsa, Hause, Mings, Taylor, Grealish, Luiz, McGinn, El Ghazi, Trezeguet, Samatta

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial

• Manchester United field unchanged side for fourth consecutive fixture

• Striker Mbwana Samatta comes into the attack to replace Keinan Davies

ASTON VILLA 0-0 MAN UTD

16: Nice movement from Marcus Rashford, who wriggles away from a few challenges before trying to slip it through to Anthony Martial. No dice on this occasion.

13: Manchester United look to be under strict orders to avoid any aerial crosses. They reach the edge of the penalty area but decide to recycle the ball with Paul Pogba eventually sends a low, well-struck delivery into the penalty area.

Tyrone Mings makes a hash of the clearance but there’s Kortney Hause to sort it out.

10: Bruno Fernandes fouls Anwar El Ghazi and the hosts have a free-kick around 25-yards from goal. Douglas Luiz takes it… blocked. The United wall does well.

8: Same old story? Aston Villa have been plying some nice stuff in recent weeks. In fact, they’ve played nice looking football for the majority of the campaign. It’s just… there’s no killer instinct. Not enough nastiness perhaps. Early days of course and I’m jumping the gun.

5: Penalty appeal! Not much of an appeal really with only Mason Greenwood asking. The forward is faintly touched by Douglas Luiz inside the area but Jonathan Moss isn’t having it.

Anwar El Ghazi has a shot from range and shanks it well wide.

3: How’s it started? It’s cagey. Manchester United have seen more possession but haven’t managed to break into Villa territory with any real venom or purpose.

… and just as I write that, Mason Greenwood drives into the penalty area but his cutback is intercepted by a claret shirt.

ASTON VILLA 0-0 MAN UTD

1: Aaaaaand we’re underway at Villa Park folks. Massive night for both sides at either end of the table. Fingers crossed this one is better than the snooze fest at the Vitality Stadium earlier – Tottenham did not attempt a single shot on target in this match! Just Jose being Jose…

Full time

Everton have drawn 1-1 with Southampton. The Saints were far the better side but won’t be too disappointed leaving Goodison Park with a point.

As for the clash at the Vitality Stadium. Well it took around 90 minutes for it to get going. Callum Wilson thought he’d scored the winner in stoppage-time only for VAR to rule the goal out for handball by Josh King.

12 minutes of additional time was then added on. Some for the VAR decision and most for the nasty injury to Adam Smith.

Reasonable point for the Cherries, who end a run of five successive defeats. No ideal still given their position. Will this be the match that got away? Finishes 0-0.

Did you see the one about…

Ousmane Dembele. Now apparently the Barcelona flop is being eyed up as a possible alternative to Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.

Sancho has been sensational this season for Dortmund, netting 20 goals and providing 20 assists for his team-mates, but the Bundesliga side want around £90m.

So, according to The Athletic, Dembele is being considered as a cheaper alternative. No idea how much he’ll cost but you’d think it would be about the same given Barca paid £100m+ for him in 2017.

In their grasp

Well results earlier this week mean that Manchester United can’t go into fourth position tonight.

The Red Devils are in fifth, on 55 points – four behind fourth-placed Leicester. Should United get maximum points tonight then their showdown with Leicester in the final game of the season will be an absolute belter.

As for Villa… they are 19th and aren’t being helped by Bournemouth’s 0-0 scoreline with Tottenham. They are four points behind Watford and West Ham in 16th and 17th.

Their final game of the season is away to West Ham, which would obviously be huge if they’re still in touching distance.

Live audition

It’s a ‘live audition’ as Andy so delicately put in his tweet. And by that he means Manchester United will be assessing him up close and personal ahead of a possible summer transfer.

It’s been talked about for months but are we sure that the Red Devils need him with Paul Pogba looking increasingly likely to stay?

£60-80m sounds like a lot for what could potentially be a ‘squad player’ at Old Trafford.

Let me know YOUR thoughts through all the usual channels. I’m sure one of you will set me straight.

Twitter reaction

Rom: Unchanged line up, great stuff. I think it’s going to be a lot tougher than people expect tonight. Hope we get the three points with a BIG win, but any victory will do.

Andy: Unchanged again? Wow. Not complaining but you do have to wonder how long it can be sustained for. Big game for the race for Top 4 and a live audition for Jack Grealish.

Shane: When was the last time Manchester United had a manager that started the same team numerous time and actually knew their best XI since Sir Alex Ferguson…

Are you allowed to make Fergie comparisons, Shane? Thought it would jinx it…

Team news – Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer names an unchanged side for the fourth-consecutive occasions. And that, according to someone way more prepared than me, is the first time Manchester United have done that since November 2006.

Victor Lindelof clearly shakes off a knock to partner Harry Maguire. Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes link up again with Anthony Martial spearheading the attack.

Team news – Aston Villa

Aston Villa make one change from the side who were beaten by Liverpool. A friend of a friend needed that for a staggering £14k accy win, actually.

Anyway, Tanzania international striker Mbwana Samatta comes into the attack to replace Keinan Davies.

Starting XI

Team news arrives. Are Manchester United unchanged again? You better believe it.

Aston Villa XI: Reina, Konsa, Hause, Mings, Taylor, Grealish, Luiz, McGinn, El Ghazi, Trezeguet, Samatta.

Subs: Nyland, Lansbury, Nakamba, Hourihane, Jota, Guilbert, El Mohamaday, Vassilev, Davis.

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Matic, Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial.

Subs: Romero, Bailly, Williams, McTominay, Fred, Pereira, Mata, James, Ighalo.

Elsewhere..

Two 6pm fixtures in the Premier League this evening. One has a lot riding on it, the other has very little. Unless you count the race for a top-half finish important…

Bournemouth are goalless with Tottenham at the break. Spurs were denied a stonewall penalty inside the opening ten minutes. Lucky VAR has arrived to clear up all those issues…

Southampton, after dominating a woeful Everton for 40 minutes, are somehow level too. James Ward-Prowse missed a penalty just moments before Dany Ings grabbed the opener.

Richarlison then equalised with a fine finish from an even finer diagonal pass from Lucas Digne. 1-1.

You are informed.

Evening..

Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Aston Villa vs Manchester United from Villa Park.

Everyone feeling alright? Not bored of football, are you?

Well I suppose Red Devils supporters couldn’t possibly be tired of watching their free-scoring side in action since the resumption.

I know I’ve said it a million times but tonight they could become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by a margin of at least three goals.

I didn’t know such a record existed.

Villa fans… OK, well I’d forgive you for being tired of the beautiful game. Just two points and two goals scored in five games.

On paper it looks a forgone conclusion. But football isn’t play… you know the rest. Team news coming shortly. Standby.