Why Aston Villa fans hate Manchester United – Rivalry explained
Aston Villa fans view Manchester United as a rival after years of hurt in the fixture.
Villa may be in a potential Premier League title race, but a clash against the Red Devils at Villa Park has sparked concern among the claret and blue fanbase.
Morgan Rogers was central to the Old Trafford controversy when the sides last met, adding further fuel to the fire of hatred emerging from B6.
Ruben Amorim’s side secured a 2-0 victory after Emi Martinez was also sent off against Man United, but that is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Midlands outfit have a long-standing resentment towards the Red Devils, but how has that feeling developed over the years?
When did Aston Villa start to hate Manchester United?
Villa have plenty of history and star players, so it is always going to be difficult to pinpoint exactly where this story begins.
Manchester United’s success under Sir Alex Ferguson certainly played a key role in their becoming the best team in England throughout his tenure.
The Red Devils beat the Villans to the Premier League title in the 1992/93 season, despite losing to Villa and drawing with them that season.
Those sorts of results are few and far between, as the B6 outfit have seriously struggled against United, with that record fueling the hate from the Villa side.
Even with the turmoil that Old Trafford has faced in recent years, the Villans have failed to win a clash with the Reds since 2022, winning just twice against them since 2010.
It is this repeated failure that has added to Villa’s annoyance, with certain moments only worsening it over the years.
Worst Aston Villa fan memories vs Manchester United
There is so much frustration from years and years of being second best to Man United.
Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two in the FA Cup third round at Villa Park, sparking a pitch invasion with his second to turn the score around from 2-0 to 3-2.
That is just one familiar tale in years full of annoyance, with none more so than the story of Nemanja Vidic avoiding a red card in the 2010 League Cup final.
The Serbian international wasn’t sent off despite a last-man challenge on Gabby Agbonlahor as he gave away a fifth-minute penalty.
United went on to win 2-1 at Wembley with Wayne Rooney scoring the winner in yet another cup final disaster for the Villans.
There is so much else to speak of from Federico Macheda’s last-gasp winner at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes’ penalty claim in lockdown and a number of star names leaving Villa for United.
The crux of this story comes just after years of Villa failing to perform against Manchester United, regardless of form.
Villa fans hate United for that very reason; it isn’t jealousy, it is just years of frustration piled on top of each other with minimal moments of relief.
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