Man Utd Made Major January Error as Tottenham and Villa Stars Shine

Aston Villa's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon was quite the spectacle, with early and late goals alongside some superb attacking and defensive displays - but Manchester United fans watching on will have been wondering where it all went wrong after two quality performances from two players in particular.

Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring inside a minute to set Villa Park alight, and from there the Villans burst into life but couldn't quite put the ball in the back of the net. Emiliano Martinez then kept the scores level after a superb save from Son Heung-min, and Tottenham were made to pay for that with Morgan Rogers doubling the lead in the second half.

Mathys Tel Contribution Will Have Man Utd Fans Reeling

The striker could have joined United instead of Tottenham

However, events in the second half saw key moments for United fans - and one of those was Mathys Tel's brilliantly-taken late consolation which gave Ange Postecoglou's side a glimmer of hope. In the final days of the transfer window, the Red Devils were thought to be Tel's preferred destination on a loan deal from Bayern Munich - but only if they could agree terms with the German side.

Tottenham and Arsenal were also thought to be in the race for his signature, but United were reportedly the frontrunners. At that point, a front three of Tel, Amad Diallo and either Rasmus Hojlund up front or Alejandro Garnacho on the wing became a tantalising proposition - but as we know, Tel did not make the move to Old Trafford.

Tottenham were the eventual winners of his signature, agreeing terms with Bayern late on transfer deadline day and announcing Tel in an 11th-hour move. It's already proved to be fruitful with a goal on his full debut for the club - and it has left United fans wondering what if.

A goal in just his second game in English football means that he's found his groove, and in a striking role, it's what United have been missing badly as they sit just two points ahead of Tottenham in the Premier League table, searching desperately for a top-half finish.

Rashford's Aston Villa Cameo Will Have Added to Man Utd Pain

The attacker came on for his first performance in two months

The pain wasn't done there for United fans. It was weird to see, but Marcus Rashford entered the pitch in the second half - and for the first time in his career, the forward wasn't wearing a red shirt on home soil. Signing for Villa on the penultimate day of the window, there has been huge excitement to see him perform away from the Theatre of Dreams, and he impressed in a new system.

Featuring for the last half hour, Sofascore states that Rashford completed one of his two dribbles and misplaced just one of his 13 passes, whilst being generally positive going forward - which he hasn't at United for months. Perhaps more interestingly, he was working hard off the ball to win the ball back for Unai Emery's men - an aspect of his game that had certainly been missing in the latter days of his United tenure.

He didn't record a goal or assist, but came close a few times and kept Villa on the front foot after their domination in the opening hour. United fans have been demanding that from Rashford for quite some time, but under new management and with a fresh start, he looked somewhat back to his best.

United fans could have had a front three of back-in-form Rashford, Diallo - who is at the peak of his powers at present - and Tel, which could have fired them into the top half. However, watching the duo excel on television, it might leave a lingering sense of what could have been with their depleted front line set to crawl on until the end of the campaign.

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 09-02-25.