Roy Keane says Man Utd 'got away with it' against Aston Villa and questions MOTM pick

The pundit was not impressed with United’s performance at the back (Picture: Sky Sports)

Roy Keane believes Manchester United ‘got away with it’ against Aston Villa in Sunday’s 2-1 victory and has questioned just how deserving Harry Maguire was of the man of the match award.

The Red Devils are now just six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham going into a favourable run of games, with goals from Rasmus Hojlund and substitute Scott McTominay securing the win at Villa Park.

But the hosts had plenty of opportunities in the game and racked up 10 shots on target – twice as many as United – while many felt the visitors were let off the hook by the withdrawal of the dangerous Leon Bailey.

Keane was not impressed by United’s defending despite Maguire being handed the man of the match gong by co-commentator Gary Neville and he felt the back-line were bailed out by the attackers.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane explained: ‘I thought he did okay today but again he’s an experienced player and he’s getting a run of games, so his fitness levels are probably coming up, he’s getting up to speed.

‘They’re trying to get a settled back four which is obviously always difficult with the injuries they’re having, and they’re also getting used to a new goalkeeper. So all that has to go into the mix.

‘But I thought he did alright today. Obviously sometimes lads give defenders the man of the match because they’ve been a defender themselves, that type of scenario.

‘We’re praising the defenders despite the amount of chances Villa had. But maybe more credit to Villa because they looked sharp going forward and they missed their chances.

Maguire had a solid game at Villa Park (Picture: Getty)

‘But winning man of the match, the bottom line is it’s no big deal. I think what’s important for Maguire is that he’s getting games under his belt and he’s getting back up to speed because he’s a good, solid, experienced defender.

‘But United still gave up loads of chances. The problems are still there for Man United. They got away with it today because the attacking players are scoring goals.

‘But it was no surprise how many chances they gave up today, they seem to do that every week. They’ve got away with it the last three or four weeks.

‘Again, I go back to it, their attacking players are scoring goals and that can get you out of jail sometimes.’

On United’s favourable run of games, he added: ‘If you’re United, you’re not going to look beyond the next game. It’s as simple as that. It’s a dangerous game to play when you start looking beyond the next game.

‘The key for me, and I go back to it, is the attacking players are scoring goals and what they have – certainly above Villa at the moment – is that momentum.

‘And if you’re in the Spurs dressing room, or the Aston Villa dressing room, and you see Man United coming up behind you, you’re going to be worried. History will play a part. They’ve got the goals.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis

Sign upPrivacy PolicyThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Never miss a beat throughout the season or transfer window with weekly Manchester United news updates, exclusives and analysis. Sign up to Metro.co.uk’s Club Metro newsletter