Villa stun Man United, Jesus sinks Chelsea
Bruno Fernandes blazed a stoppage-time penalty over the crossbar as Aston Villa earned a shock 1-0 victory at a below-par Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Kortney Hause's 88th-minute header put Villa on course for their first league win over United since 2009, but the defender's handball gifted United an opportunity to steal a point, only for Fernandes to miss the target.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo re-signed for United, there has been much debate over who will take penalties and free kicks this season – last term's spot-kick taker Fernandes or his fellow Portuguese.
It was Fernandes who took the first direct free kick on Saturday, firing into the wall, with Ronaldo getting the next one, and Fernandes, following Hause's handball, never looked back as he placed the ball on the spot in the 92nd minute.
But last season's top scorer missed only his second spot-kick for the club to the dismay of an expectant crowd.
"First of all the way they (Villa players) get round the penalty spot, get round Bruno and that, that's not to my liking," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
"Bruno is usually very good in those positions and unfortunately he missed this one."
In truth, United got what they deserved. Villa had two great opportunities to break the deadlock in the first half with full back Matt Targett blazing over from two metres out, before Ollie Watkins was denied by a fine save from United goalkeeper David de Gea.
The home side, encouraged by a frustrated Old Trafford crowd, stepped it up late in the match, but Hause climbed highest to stun the hosts before Fernandes' miss and United tasted league defeat for the first time this season.
Meanwhile, a second-half goal from Gabriel Jesus earned Premier League champions Manchester City a deserved 1-0 win over Chelsea and inflicted a first defeat of the season on Thomas Tuchel's side.
Jesus pushed the ball home with a deflection off Jorginho after a goalmouth melee in the 53rd minute following City's 10th corner of the game. It was the game's first shot on target.
It was Jesus's 52nd goal for City and they have never lost a Premier League game in which he has scored.
The victory also broke a three-match losing streak for the Manchester side against Chelsea, the most recent in the Champions League final in Porto in May.
Thomas Tuchel admitted his Chelsea side were not good enough. "We lost the game and City deserved to win. Until the goal we were very strong in the last 20 metres of the field, but only there unfortunately," Tuchel told reporters.
"Everywhere else we were not good enough to relieve pressure and to hurt them. The performance was not complex enough.
"Overall, simply, we were not at our best level."
Chelsea did try and raise the tempo in a bid to salvage the game but it was too little too late.
"After the goal it felt a little bit like the belief in winning was bigger than the fear of losing, I don't know why. We tried to push and get the crowd behind us. It was a very emotional game but never on our highest level," Tuchel said.
City produced their best display of the season, pressing the ball relentlessly and smothering the home side who failed to register a shot on target.
Manager Pep Guardiola, a keen golf fan, said his side's teamwork reminded him of the Ryder Cup.
"Today we played for each other," the Spaniard said.
Source: www.thedailystar.net
