Aston Villa missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League as they had Emiliano Martinez sent off in a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
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Amad and Christian Eriksen were on target at Old Trafford, where Martinez was sent off at the end of the first half after he wiped out Rasmus Hojlund.
Man Utd took a deserved lead when Amad headed home Bruno Fernandes' excellent left-wing centre in the 76th minute.
Eriksen, playing his last game for United, added a second from the penalty spot as the beaten UEFA Europa League finalists signed off with a win that sees them finish 15th.
Villa, though, will have to settle for sixth and a spot in the Europa League after the final-day defeat meant they missed out on the top five on goal difference, despite Newcastle United’s loss to Everton.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +28 | 71 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +21 | 69 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +21 | 66 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +7 | 66 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | +12 | 65 |
How the match unfolded
Martinez made four saves in the opening 10 minutes alone, with Mason Mount twice denied as Man Utd came out of the traps fast.
Amad bundled wide from eight yards and substitute Diogo Dalot crashed an outswinging shot against the left upright, albeit an earlier offside may have denied him anyway.
Villa's cause was not helped when Matty Cash's slack backpass was pounced on by Hojlund and Martinez rushed out to bodycheck the United forward, receiving a straight red card.
Hojlund nodded home after the restart only to be denied by the offside flag and Casemiro then clipped the outside of the right post. United survived a scare when Morgan Rogers seemingly nicked the ball from the hands of Altay Bayindir and slid into an unguarded goal to score, but referee Thomas Bramall had already blown for a foul.
The breakthrough finally came when Amad arrived at the back post to head home a stupendous cross from Fernandes.
Amad was involved again when Ian Maatsen clipped the winger inside the area and Fernandes graciously handed the ball to Eriksen, who smashed his penalty straight down the middle in the 87th minute.
Amorim sees light at the end of the tunnel
Man Utd's last chance at redeeming their season ended when they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
Following that blow, Ruben Amorim suggested he would walk away for nothing if the Old Trafford hierarchy felt he was no longer the man to lead the team.
The irony is, had United been as proactive in Bilbao as they were here then such a forthright offer probably would not have been needed.
United were extremely wasteful for a lot of the game, with Amorim displaying his frustration when he kicked a water bottle after Casemiro struck the woodwork.
But finally, the United boss had a smile on his face as his side deservedly made the breakthrough with a moment of magic from their inspirational captain Fernandes.
The overriding feeling will, of course, be one of huge disappointment at a season that has been way below the standard expected of a club of Man Utd's stature.
And yet, there was more than a hint in this sign-off Premier League fixture that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Amorim, who will know much better will be needed next season.
Martinez red hampers Villa’s Champions League dream
Reports in recent weeks have suggested Villa may be open to selling Martinez in the upcoming transfer window and it would be a sad farewell if this is indeed his final appearance.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 winner had an outstanding start, making four fine saves in the opening stages.
But, while Cash has to make the majority of the blame for an awful misjudgement, referee Bramall had no choice but to wield the red card for the Argentinian’s wiping out of Hojlund.
It was the culmination of a hugely underwhelming first half for Villa, who recorded a solitary John McGinn shot, which was blocked, in a poor opening 45 minutes.
In all truth, there was little to change the narrative of the game after the break and there was an air of inevitability about Amad's opener.
Maatsen may feel hard done with the awarding of the spot-kick, which drew sarcastic applause from Unai Emery, but the harsh truth is Villa fell flat when it really mattered.
Consequently, it means they will not get another shot in the Champions League next season after a seat at the top table this campaign, and work may be needed to reshape the squad ahead of another tilt next season.
Club reports
Man Utd report | Aston Villa report
What the managers said
Ruben Amorim: "Difficult week. Tough on everybody. But it was good spirits from the players and supporters today. So we finished a terrible and hard season with a win. It's a good feeling."
Unai Emery: "We did a big effort during the second part of the season. We lost the chance to be in the top five during the first half. I was happy with how we progressed in the season and achieved the opportunity to play today for the Champions League position."
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Key facts
Manchester United have won their final Premier League match of the season for the 23rd time, with only Arsenal doing so more often (24).
From the start of March, Aston Villa only lost two out of 10 Premier League games – winning all eight of their other games – but both defeats were in Manchester, losing to City at the Etihad in April and at Old Trafford today.
Bruno Fernandes has assisted 10 Premier League goals this season, the second time he has 10+ assists in a season (also 12 in 2020/21). He’s the sixth Manchester United player to assist 10+ goals in two or more seasons, along with Eric Cantona (4), David Beckham (4), Ryan Giggs (5), Wayne Rooney (5) and Nani (2).
Emiliano Martinez became the first goalkeeper Opta has on record since 2003/04 to make five saves and get sent off in the first half of a Premier League game, while he was the first Aston Villa goalkeeper red carded in the Premier League since Brad Friedel in March 2009 against Liverpool.