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FourFourTwo
Sport
Ben Hayward

'It drives me crazy' – Gary Neville on what annoyed him in Manchester United win at Aston Villa

Gary Neville working on Sky Sports as part of their coverage of Aston Villa vs Sheffield United in December 2023.

Gary Neville was left frustrated by one aspect of Manchester United's play during the Red Devils' 2-1 win at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

United claimed all three points at Villa Park thanks to a late winner from Scott McTominay, having earlier taken the lead through Rasmus Hojlund.

But Douglas Luiz levelled for the home side midway through the second half and the game looked to be heading for a 1-1 draw until McTominay's 86th-minute winner.

Neville was unhappy as goalkeeper Andre Onana kept hold of the ball in an attempt to invite pressure and exploit the spaces, a tactic adopted by both teams.

"It just drives me crazy," Neville said on Sky Sports. And when Villa moved forward and the goalkeeper shifted the ball to his defenders, the former right-back added: "That’s better."

Later, Neville complained again as the two teams appeared content to delay instead of going in search of a winning goal.

With the scores at 1-1, he said: "There's a bit of a lull in the stadium, the odd spark we have seen but it's at both ends.

"Both teams just happy to waste time, it just does my head in. I can’t get used to it."

United went on to win the game thanks to McTominay's header and Erik ten Hag's side move to within five points of fifth-placed Villa after 24 rounds of matches.

More Manchester United stories

Sir Alex Ferguson has given his brutal assessment of Tottenham's Premier League title chances.

Meanwhile, Man United icon Gary Neville has revealed two secrets to Ferguson's enormous success during his reign at Old Trafford.

And Marcus Rashford has been linked with a sensational summer move to PSG.

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