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The final match of the 2024/25 Premier League season for MU was nothing less than a quiet and bitter farewell. The 0-1 defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final last week not only ended a disappointing journey, but also took away the Red Devils' last hope of a European Cup spot next season.
This is the second time in 35 years that MU has not participated in any European tournament, a harsh reality for the team that was once a symbol of power and fame in English football.
More importantly, the defeat to Spurs did not reflect the whole game. MU controlled the ball better, created more chances but were still "powerless" in front of the opponent's goal, a scenario that has been repeated throughout the season.
Before the final round, coach Ruben Amorim and his team had lost 18 matches, including 9 losses at Old Trafford. With only 39 points after 37 rounds, MU is currently ranked 16th, the lowest position in the history of participating in the Premier League. Their previous worst achievement in this tournament was 8th place, in the 2023/24 season.
Coach Ruben Amorim's future is a big question mark. After 41 matches in charge, he has only brought home 15 victories, a rate of 36.6%. Although he announced that he would leave if the board and fans no longer supported him, he still believes he is the right person to revive MU.
In terms of direct confrontation, MU is on a streak of 8 consecutive matches without a win in the Premier League (2 draws, 6 losses), but has won 3 of the last 4 times against Aston Villa. The Red Devils have also defeated Aston Villa 40 times in the top flight of the foggy country, only less than their record of the most wins against Everton (42 matches).
Meanwhile, Aston Villa did what MU could not: beat Tottenham 2-0 in the last round to continue to nurture their hopes of participating in the Champions League next season.
Under the leadership of coach Unai Emery, Aston Villa is making an impressive acceleration with a series of 3 consecutive wins without conceding a goal, winning 9/11 recent matches, only 1 match less than MU's total number of wins for the whole season (10 matches).
Aston Villa's fate, however, is no longer in their hands. The Birmingham side are sixth, level on points with Newcastle and Chelsea, fourth and fifth respectively, but behind on goal difference. They need to take all three points at Old Trafford and hope one of their opponents stumbles. In a more dreamy scenario, if Man City (third) unexpectedly lose to Fulham, Villa could be in with a chance.
Emery insists the team are “very excited and 100% committed” to the crucial game at Old Trafford. Whatever the outcome, he is proud of the team’s journey, as they have at least secured a place in next season’s European Cup.
Aston Villa have only won one of their last 26 away games of the season (D7 L18), but they have also picked up eight points from their last seven meetings with United (W2 D2 L3) – a positive sign ahead of tonight's big clash.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/truc-tiep-mu-vs-aston-villa-22h00-ngay-255-con-nuoc-con-tat-post1745411.tpo
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