Manchester United concluded their challenging 2024/25 Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford. Despite a difficult campaign, United’s performance in the final match was commendable, showcasing the team’s potential and resilience. The match saw Aston Villa reduced to ten men after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was sent off, allowing United to capitalize with goals from Amad and Christian Eriksen, who marked his farewell with a penalty.
Bruno Fernandes said: “Obviously, I think more than the win is the performance that we put in. You could see the team playing football with a great personality, showing off all the qualities we have, all the things that we have been improving during the season. That was easy today to do that because there was no pressure on ourselves. We were not playing for anything in this game in particular. Obviously, we were playing to give a different message and a different image of what we have been doing during this campaign. I think we played very well. We created a lot of chances and could and should have scored in the first half, but we didn’t. In the second half we got our two goals and that is amazing for the way we finished the season. But more important is the way we’re going to start the next one.”
Bruno Fernandes added: “Movement-wise, you want more of the ball, everyone is showing for the ball. We tried different things. I saw a lot of players trying their chance to get a shot, where in the past few games they tried to go for the easy way and pass backwards or whatever. We were on the front foot. Pressing-wise, we were sometimes man-marking against a team that has very powerful players to hold the ball and run off. We did very well. But as I have said, we need and we want to do this more often. It is difficult, we know this club demands a lot, there is a lot of pressure, but everyone who plays for this club has to deal with those demands and understand that our aim is to play under pressure every game.”
The match highlighted Manchester United’s ability to perform under less pressure, as the team was not competing for any specific goal in this fixture. Despite the season’s struggles, the players demonstrated their capabilities and adaptability, creating numerous chances and maintaining a strong defensive stance against a reduced Villa side. The victory, while not altering the season’s overall disappointment, provided a glimpse of the potential improvements and strategies that could be leveraged in the upcoming season.
