Aston Villa 2-1 Man United: Electric Morgan Rogers strengthens his grip on England's No 10 spot as he inspires hosts to a TENTH win on the spin - while Ruben Amorim is left frustrated by his side's obvious flaw

As his manager threw his coat in the air in rapturous celebration and Morgan Rogers celebrated what transpired to be the winning goal at the Holte End, team-mate Amadou Onana placed an imaginary crown on his head. It felt entirely appropriate. Everything Rogers touches right now turns to goal.

Two here to finish off a Manchester United team that actually played quite well followed the two that did for West Ham in London a week earlier. Rogers is the king of the midlands right now and the closer we get to the next World Cup, the tighter grows his hold on the number ten position in Thomas Tuchel ’s England team.

Here the 23-year-old lit up what was actually one of Aston Villa ’s most modest recent performances. This was Premier League victory number ten on the spin and Unai Emery ’s team deserve their third place in the Premier League.

But it took two moments of Rogers’ brilliance – one at the end of the first half – and another just before the hour to edge out a United team who have played much worse than this at times under Ruben Amorim and managed to win.

The goal were remarkably similar, Rogers cutting in from the left to finish high across United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with his right foot.

When you have a player like that in your team, bad days can be turned in to better one and OK ones turned in to significant victories. Villa do not beat United at Villa Park very often so this one fell in to the latter category.

Morgan Rogers scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester United 2-1 at Villa Park on Sunday

Both of Rogers' goals were stunning efforts as Villa made it 10 wins in a row in all competitions

Amorim will be frustrated. The United manager is missing key players now and lost another to injury when captain Bruno Fernandes didn’t reappear for the second half. It looked like a thigh injury. His team played well overall, though. What they lacked was a killer instinct and an effective centre forward.

As strikers such as Nick Woltemade at Newcastle and Hugo Ekitike at Liverpool make impressions in the Premier League, Sesko is struggling and with Bryan Mbeumo now at the African Cup of Nations, Amorim has a bit of a Christmas problem on his hands.

After all the talk about United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in the build up to this game, the academy graduate didn’t make the United squad. Amorim said he was injured.

With Casemiro also absent and Mbeumo away, United were a little different in terms of make-up but for long periods of the game were the game’s dominant force. At least in terms of possession.

Villa’s incredible winning run had propelled them up the table but at times here they looked as through they were in danger of running out of gas. Their goal just before half-time was a thing of beauty from the right foot of one of the Premier League’s form players. But the fact that United equalised almost immediately was not hugely surprising.

Early on the team swapped chances. Matheus Cunha was only a foot wide of the post in only the second minute before United goalkeeper Lammens denied Villa twice in a couple of seconds.

The Belgian’s low save down to his right from John McGinn was one he would have expected to make but the rebound fell to Ollie Watkins who was denied by the goalkeeper brilliantly.

The resulting corner dropped at the far post and when Ian Maatsen drove the ball low across goal, Rogers appeared to have flicked it in from six yards only for it to pass the wrong side of the goal by a matter of inches.

United boss Ruben Amorim will be extremely frustrated as his side played pretty well

Former Wolves man equalised shortly after Rogers' opener, pouncing on Matty Cash's mistake

It seemed at that stage as though the pattern of the first half may have been set. Villa have been too good for everyone recently and are a dynamic and attacking mobile team when they find their rhythm.

Here, though, things played out a little differently. With Watkins short of confidence and young United central defender Ayden Heaven playing him well, United managed to repel much of what came their way and over time started to populate midfield with bodies, push the Villa full-backs in to their own half and dominate the territory.

Sesko continues to look short of what he needs to be and that hurts United at times. They have to find a threat from elsewhere. Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez dashed out to thwart Sesko after Villa central defenders Victor Lindelof and Ezri Konsa failed to cut out a through ball before Cunha was denied from distance and Fernandes saw another effort strike a defender when it appeared to heading for the corner.

Villa were well in the game. It was tight. But they didn’t really look like scoring until the moment they did.

McGinn’s crossfield pass was controlled less than perfectly by Rogers but he managed to stop the ball crossing the touchline and when the England player cut inside on to his right foot United were in trouble.

Leny Yoro couldn’t halt his progress and Manuel Ugarte chose not close him down. That presented Rogers with a target and he found the far top corner with a lovely bending shot from 18 yards.

Typical of him, Rogers’ goal should have changed the mood and sent Villa in at half-time with the lead. But Matty Cash was caught in possession by Patrick Dorgu in the right-back position and when Cunha collected the ball, he shot across Martinez from a tight angle. Martinez may have been slightly too close to his near post and Cunha scored more easily than he maybe should have. But the majority of the blame was with Cash.

It had been clear for ten minutes that Fernandes has been battling a tweak in his thigh and he succumbed to that at half-time. Centre half Lisandro Martinez replaced him and went straight in to a slightly unusual position at the base of the midfield. Still United were progressive but once again Villa found a moment.

United also lost captain and talisman Bruno Fernandes to a supposed thigh injury at half-time

Villa boss Unai Emery threw his coat in the air in rapturous celebration at Rogers' second

The visitors threatened twice early in the second half as Mason Mount screwed a shot wide and then Martinez robbed Boubacar Kamara and drove wide from 25 yards.

But Villa proved themselves more clinical again just before the hour. Youri Tielemans should have been held up by Diogo Dalot by the corner flag but wasn’t and when his cross was partially controlled by Watkins, Rogers picked up possession to curl his second goal into the far corner.

United’s response was positive once again. Dalot’s low shot was saved by Martinez and Cash blocked Dorgu’s follow up. Then a beautiful chip from the United full-back put a header on a plate for Cunha but somehow he headed it down and wide from five yards.

A number of substitutions followed and one of United’s felt significant as young Jack Fletcher – son of former United midfielder Darren – came on for a senior debut. He had about 20 minutes to help his team save this game.

The 18-year-old did drive one shot in to the midriff of Martinez as the game ticked over in to added time and United were handed one last chance as Dorgu was brought down on the angle of the penalty area in the 92nd minute. Mount took it but his shot cleared the angle of post and bar and the game was done.