Jamaican winger Leon Bailey produced a superb performance, setting the ball rolling with a seventh-minute opener, as Unai Emery enjoyed a dream debut as Aston Villa manager with a convincing 3-1 English Premier League victory over Manchester United at Villa Park on Sunday.
The hosts had not beaten United on home soil in the league since 1995 but stormed into a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes.
Reggae Boy Leon Bailey, 25, broke clear of the United defence before rifling a low shot beyond goalkeeper David de Gea – just his fourth goal for the club since joining from German club Bayer Leverkusen last summer – and things got even better for Villa four minutes later when Lucas Digne curled in a superb free-kick from 25 yards.
A huge slice of luck got United a goal back on the stroke of half-time when left-back Luke Shaw’s shot took a big deflection off Jacob Ramsey to land in the back of the net, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez left stranded.
But Ramsey delivered the perfect response four minutes after the break when he collected Ollie Watkins’ ball and hammered a shot beyond De Gea.
The win moved Aston Villa up to 13th, three points above the relegation zone, while Manchester United remain fifth.
Joe Willock, a 23-year-old midfielder of Montserratian descent, helped Newcastle United move up to third place in the topflight with a 62nd-minute goal, finishing a quick counterattack led by Kieran Trippier with a toe punt into the corner of the net, as the visitors ran riot with a 4-1 win at Southampton – a defeat that left the hosts in the drop zone.
CMC/
