The Red Devils' revival starts with retaining Mourinho

On January 7, 2019, Old Trafford was bustling with people, and the battle between Manchester United and Aston Villa was about to begin. This historic stadium welcomed countless enthusiastic fans today, wearing Manchester United's red jerseys or Aston Villa's uniforms, with expectations and excitement on their faces.

With the referee's whistle, the game officially began. Manchester United wore traditional red home jerseys, led by captain De Gea. De Gea stood in front of the goal with a firm and focused look, and his presence gave Manchester United's defense great confidence. In front of him, Theo Fernandes, Varane, Pepe and Ashraf formed a solid defense. In the midfield, Verratti, Dani Olmo and Bellingham, three skilled players, were responsible for controlling the rhythm of the game and organizing the offense. On the front line, Cavani, Rashford and Cody Gakpo were responsible for the team's siege.

Aston Villa also fielded a very competitive lineup, and they showed a strong desire to attack right after the start. At the beginning of the game, Aston Villa launched an active pressing, trying to put pressure on Manchester United's defense. However, Manchester United's defense was very solid under the command of Theo Fernandes and Varane. Theo Fernandes successfully intercepted Aston Villa's passes many times with his excellent sense of position and defensive awareness. Varane showed his general style, calm and decisive in defense, and resolved Aston Villa's offensive threats again and again.

The newly joined veteran Pepe became a key figure in Manchester United's defense in this game. His speed and explosiveness gave Aston Villa's offensive players a headache, and he didn't look like a 36-year-old veteran at all. In the 10th minute of the game, Aston Villa launched a quick counterattack. Their striker Cameron Archer received a long pass from midfielder Leslie Ugochukwu and quickly broke through Manchester United's defense. Just as he was about to shoot, Pepe appeared like lightning and used a clean tackle to destroy the ball out of the baseline. This wonderful defense won warm applause from the fans in Old Trafford.

While the defense was solid, Manchester United's offensive line seemed to be in a bad state. Rashford, as a sharp knife on Manchester United's front line, missed two single-handed opportunities in this game. The first opportunity came in the 20th minute of the game. Dani Olmo sent a precise straight pass in the midfield, and Rashford quickly got rid of Aston Villa's defenders with his speed advantage and formed a single-handed situation. However, facing the attack of Aston Villa's goalkeeper, Rashford seemed a little hesitant, and his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper with his body. This missed opportunity made Rashford very upset. He held his head with both hands and couldn't believe that he missed such a good opportunity.

Manchester United's midfielders were not discouraged by Rashford's mistakes. They continued to work hard to organize the attack. As the core of the midfield, Verratti showed his superb ball control and passing ability. After he got the ball in the midfield, he could always cleverly get rid of the pressing of Aston Villa players and then send accurate passes to his teammates. Dani Olmo and Bellingham also played an important role in the offense. They actively ran and created more offensive space for the strikers.

As an experienced striker, Cavani also showed his strength in this game. His ability to grab points and shooting skills in the penalty area put a lot of pressure on Aston Villa's defense. In the 30th minute of the game, Bellingham sent a wonderful pass at the front of the penalty area, and Cavani quickly moved forward, but unfortunately his shot was slightly off the goal. Although this attack did not score a goal, it also made Aston Villa's players feel the threat of Manchester United's striker.

After withstanding the offensive pressure of Manchester United, Aston Villa also began to organize some threatening attacks. Their midfielder Leslie Ugochukwu won a lot of possession through active fighting. Then, they used quick passes and sharp breakthroughs to try to break Manchester United's defense. However, Manchester United's defense, led by Pepe and Varane, was very tenacious. They resolved Aston Villa's offensive threats again and again, leaving Aston Villa's players empty-handed.

In the 40th minute of the first half, Aston Villa got a corner kick opportunity. After their corner kick, there was chaos in the penalty area. Aston Villa's players competed for the header, trying to score the ball into Manchester United's goal. However, De Gea showed his world-class goalkeeping skills at a critical moment.Style. He jumped high and held the ball firmly in his arms, defusing the crisis.

With the referee's whistle, the first half of the game ended. The score was fixed at 0:0, and Manchester United and Aston Villa were temporarily tied. In the first half of the game, Manchester United's defense was very solid, and Pepe made many rescues and became the hero of the team's defense. However, Manchester United's offensive line was in poor condition, and Rashford missed two single-handed opportunities, causing the team to miss the opportunity to lead. Aston Villa also created some opportunities in the offense, but none of them were able to be converted into goals.

During the halftime break, the coaches of both sides were not in a hurry to adjust the team's lineup. Manchester United coach Mourinho encouraged the players to attack more confidently, while also paying attention to the stability of the defense. Aston Villa's coach asked the players to continue to maintain offensive pressure and strive to score in the second half of the game.

After the start of the second half, the rhythm of both sides accelerated significantly. Manchester United strengthened its offense, and their strikers ran more actively, looking for opportunities to score goals. Aston Villa was more defensive, and they tried to break Manchester United's defense through counterattacks.

In the 50th minute of the game, Manchester United got another great chance. Verratti sent a penetrating pass in the midfield, and Cody Gakpo quickly broke through Aston Villa's defense after receiving the ball. His shot was saved by Aston Villa goalkeeper Craig Hill, but the ball still flew towards the goal. Just as the ball was about to cross the goal line, Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos arrived in time and cleared the ball out of the baseline. This attack made Manchester United's players feel very sorry, and they missed the opportunity to score again.

After resolving Manchester United's attack, Aston Villa quickly launched a counterattack. Their striker Cameron Archer used his speed advantage to break through Manchester United's defense and then passed the ball to midfielder Leslie Ugochukwu. The midfielder's shot was saved by De Gea and bounced out of the baseline. Aston Villa got a corner kick opportunity. After the corner kick, Aston Villa players competed for the header in the penalty area, but the ball was eventually cleared out of the penalty area by Manchester United's defender.

As the game progressed, the players on both sides seemed a little tired. However, they did not give up and continued to fight hard on the field. In the 70th minute of the game, Manchester United made a personnel adjustment. They replaced Rashford, who was in poor form and wasted many scoring opportunities in this game, with the young striker Erling Haaland, and continued to strengthen the team's offensive firepower. This substitution had a certain effect. After Erling Haaland came on the court, he put a lot of pressure on Aston Villa's defense.

In the 75th minute of the game, Manchester United finally broke the deadlock on the field. Ashraf, the right back, was like a flash of lightning. He keenly caught the passing error of Aston Villa's offensive player in his own backcourt, and decisively kicked and successfully intercepted the ball. Ashraf's interception instantly ignited the hope of Manchester United fans, and they seemed to see the dawn of victory flashing before their eyes.

Ashraf did not hesitate at all, quickly observed the situation on the field, and then accurately passed the ball to Dani Olmo on the right side of the midfield. Dani Olmo, the young midfielder, has made significant progress this season; he caught the ball steadily, his eyes revealed calmness and wisdom, as if he had planned the next move in an instant. Dani Olmo did not choose a conservative way of passing, but showed his courage and decisiveness. He raised his right foot and kicked hard, and the football was like a cannonball, drawing a beautiful arc and moving to the left side of the field on a large scale.

This unexpected pass from the Aston Villa player quickly tore apart the opponent's bus formation; Manchester United left-back Theo Fernandez had been paying close attention to the situation on the field. When he saw Dani Olmo's pass flying towards him, a strong fighting spirit surged in his heart. He quickly moved forward like a cheetah, running all the way with the ball. Theo Fernandez's speed caught Aston Villa's defenders off guard. They could only chase him desperately, but they could never catch up with his pace.

Theo Fernandez rushed into the opponent's penalty area with the ball. At this time, he was like a sharp knife, directly inserted into the heart of Aston Villa. Aston Villa's defenders gathered around him and tried to stop his attack. However, Theo Fernandez was not intimidated by their defense. He calmly observed the situation around him and looked for the best time to pass the ball.

Finally, Theo Fernandez saw the ball in the penalty area.Cavani was waiting for his chance in the penalty area. He did not hesitate to pass the ball back with a triangle, and sent the ball accurately to Cavani's feet. Cavani, the experienced striker, was ready to shoot. He met the ball from Theo Fernandez and shot directly. Cavani's shot was powerful and the ball flew towards the goal like a meteor.

Aston Villa's goalkeeper Craig Hill showed his superb skills at this critical moment. He reacted quickly and flew towards the ball. Craig Hill's palm collided violently with the ball, and the speed of the ball slowed down instantly, but it still flew towards the goal. However, due to Craig Hill's save, the direction of the ball changed, and it finally hit the goal post and bounced out.

Just when everyone thought that this attack was about to end in vain, Erling Haaland appeared at the landing point of the ball like a god descending from the sky. Erling Haaland, a young and energetic striker, has a keen sense of smell and super explosive power. When he saw Cavani's shot was saved, he immediately realized that this was a great opportunity. He rushed forward without hesitation and raised his foot to make up the shot.

Erling Haaland's shot was extremely accurate, and the football flew directly into the dead corner of the goal. Aston Villa goalkeeper Craig Hill, who performed very well in this game, could only sigh at the ball.

Old Trafford was boiling instantly, and the cheers and shouts of the fans sounded like thunder. They cheered for Haaland's wonderful performance and were extremely excited for Manchester United's goal.

Erling Haaland's goal was not only a display of personal ability, but also the result of the efforts of the entire Manchester United team. From Ashraf's backcourt interception, Dani Olmo's wide transfer, Theo Fernandes's forward insertion and back pass, Cavani's shot and Erling Haaland's follow-up shot, every link reflects the tacit cooperation and tenacious fighting spirit of Manchester United players.

This goal also brought about a major change in the situation of the game. Manchester United took the lead in the score with Erling Haaland's goal. Aston Villa's players seemed a little frustrated after losing the ball, but they did not give up and were still trying to find a chance to equalize the score. However, Manchester United's players were in high spirits after scoring the goal, their defense was tighter and their offense was more sharp.