Two Manchester United players might have secured FA Cup final starting places after Aston Villa win

Defensive partnership

This was a quieter afternoon for Manchester United's make-shift centre-back partnership of Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw but they both produced key contributions in the win against Aston Villa, securing another Old Trafford clean sheet in the process.

Lindelof's header to take the ball off the head of Ollie Watkins early in the second half saved an almost certain goal for the visitors, while Shaw was out rapidly a few minutes later to get a block in on Douglas Luiz after Villa had worked a corner into space on the edge of the area. Lindelof was involved again with another big block when Jacob Ramsey found space to shoot on the hour mark.

Lindelof's best moment came when it wasn't required. Villa's attack continued when Watkins was offside and when Douglas Luiz looked like he had picked out the top corner, the Swede brilliantly headed off the line. The flag then went up but Lindelof's work was rewarded with a pat on the back from Diogo Dalot.

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Lindelof and Shaw had never started a game together at centre-back until last weekend's FA Cup semi-final, but they've looked reasonably assured in all three games together and seem to have a natural chemistry you probably wouldn't expect. With Lindelof a right-sided central defender they've hardly been on the same side of the pitch.

With Harry Maguire back fit he was only selected for the bench and on the evidence of this week it might be that Lindelof and Shaw are Erik ten Hag's first-choice partnership at the back for the rest of the season, which might include the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

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