Manchester United 3- Aston Villa 1

Casemiro moves Manchester United closer to the Champions League

Casemiro, Cunha and Sesko scored as United beat Aston Villa to take the edge in the race for third place.

OLI SCARFF

Update: Mar 15th, 2026 12:43 EDT

Manchester United and Aston Villa have traded momentum in recent weeks. The arrival of Michael Carrick has revitalized United and Sunday’s victory keeps them firmly in the hunt for third place, currently leading the race for a Champions League spot next season.

Villa, meanwhile, suffered their third straight league defeat and could end the weekend outside the Champions League places if Liverpool beat Tottenham.

Casemiro gave the hosts the lead with his seventh goal of the season. Barkley later equalized before Cunha restored United’s advantage in the 71st minute. Sesko sealed the win in the 80th.

A tense first half

With so much at stake, both teams approached the first half cautiously. Neither side wanted to make a mistake that could damage their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

The match became a physical battle in midfield and clear chances were scarce. The closest opportunity came in the 22nd minute when Amad Diallo met a corner with a soft header. Emiliano Martínez stretched to push the ball away comfortably.

That brief moment summed up the first half for United. They tried to take control of the game but struggled to create meaningful chances.

Casemiro breaks the deadlock

The second half brought more rhythm and a greater influence from Bruno Fernandes.

Seven minutes after the restart, the Portuguese midfielder led a quick break before slipping the ball to Bryan Mbeumo. The winger drove into the box from a tight angle and fired across goal, but Martínez pushed the shot away for a corner.

Fernandes took the corner himself, sending the ball toward the near post where Casemiro rose above the defense and powered a header into the net to open the scoring.

The goal lifted the mood at Old Trafford on what had been a cold and gloomy afternoon.

Villa fight back

Unai Emery’s team responded immediately. Villa pushed forward and began to threaten.

Just past the hour mark, a low cross from Lucas Digne found Ross Barkley unmarked inside the box. The midfielder struck first time and beat André Onana. After a VAR review confirmed the ball had not touched Onana, who was in an offside position, the goal was allowed to stand.

United respond again

Earlier in the season, a setback like that might have rattled United. But this team has looked different since Carrick took charge.

They remained calm and quickly regained the lead.

Once again Fernandes played the role of creator, sliding a pass into space for Cunha. The forward collected the ball before entering the box and finished across Martínez with precision to make it 2–1. After scoring, he celebrated with a samba-style dance in front of the home fans.

Sesko finishes it for United

Benjamin Sesko, who has scored four goals in his last six matches, came off the bench to finish the game.

Cunha broke down the left and sent a low cross into the area. Aston Villa’s defense failed to clear properly, and Sesko reacted quickest to pounce on the loose ball and fire it into the net.

The goal secured a comfortable finish for United and kept their Champions League hopes firmly on track.