Manchester United's slim hopes of reviving their Premier League title challenge were dealt a blow as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at 10-man Aston Villa on Saturday.
Louis van Gaal's side needed Radamel Falcao's second-half header to cancel out Christian Benteke's fine opener for Villa in a contest overshadowed by referee Lee Mason's controversial dismissal of Gabriel Agbonlahor for a seemingly innocuous challenge on former Villa team-mate Ashley Young.
It ended a run of six successive victories for van Gaal's side as they lost ground on second placed Manchester City, who had earlier moved level on points with leaders Chelsea, who face Stoke on Monday.
The gap now stands at seven points between those two and United, who sit third.
But United could have no arguments with outcome after their big-name stars failed to deliver against an organised, efficient and, at times, potent Villa team, who have now lost just one of their last six matches.
Latest Stories
-
Police arrest 3 in connection with alleged cocoa bean smuggling
4 minutes -
Ada Chiefs urge government to ensure safety of Electrochem workers
22 minutes -
Local assembly elections must be partisan, current system hasn’t worked for 32 years – IDEG
27 minutes -
A Country Called Ghana: Lilwin reveals he paid Ramzy Noah over $40,000 for his role
34 minutes -
GFA confirms imminent changes to Black Stars technical team
44 minutes -
GCB Bank supports the attainment of 5-Ps of Sustainable Development – MD at New Year School
46 minutes -
Minority ready to cooperate with Majority for swift formation of new gov’t – Manhyia South MP
52 minutes -
Armah-Kofi Buah Writes: Urgent Call to Action: Fishermen in Kamgbunli face devastating fish disease crisis
58 minutes -
Free SHS: GH₵ 7.50p feeding fee per student not enough – CHASS
1 hour -
Minority caucus is not afraid of ORAL team – John Darko
1 hour -
Daily Insights for CEOs: The art of strategic networking – Expanding your influence as a CEO
1 hour -
Energy grids in Ghana and West Africa: Assessing access, reliability, and sustainability for actionable solutions
1 hour -
Haruna Iddrisu for Education Ministry as Mahama nominates 9 more ministers
2 hours -
Abla Dzifa Gomashie nominated as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts
2 hours -
Christmas festivities: Retail sales value increased by18% – Maverick Research
2 hours