Fans are astonished as clip of Sir Alex Ferguson’s INCREDIBLE foresight resurfaces, with legendary Man United boss making bold claim – that fans had mocked him for – on first day of the season
- Aston Villa move up to third in the table after beating Manchester City
- Ferguson singled them out for praise after a humiliating 5-1 defeat on the opening day.
- Manchester United have snakes in the dressing room, players who don’t run. Bruce, Robson, Keane would never allow this… It all begins
Sir Alex Ferguson silenced detractors who mocked him for his praise of Aston Villa following their 5-1 opening day defeat to Newcastle as the Villans moved into the Premier League’s top three on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery’s side leapfrogged Manchester City in the table after a dominant 1-0 win thanks to Leon Bailey’s deflected goal.
It was a 14th successive home win and firmly cemented Midland as contenders for the top flight crown this season.
Villa have come a long way since their humiliation at St James’ Park in August, causing many observers to reassess their pre-season predictions.
Not Ferguson. The legendary United manager’s praise for Emery’s team after that defeat was ridiculed on social media but now seems incredibly prophetic.
Ferguson raised eyebrows when he said Aston Villa impressed him more than any other team on their opening weekend.
Some viewers on social media criticized the 81-year-old after his comments.
“To be honest, I watched Aston Villa and I can’t believe the score.” The 81-year-old spoke to NBC Sports ahead of the first match against the Red Devils. “To be fair, Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost because of bad goals.
Newcastle will be very difficult to beat, especially on their own soil, and their manager has done a great job there. This is an amazing game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score – that’s what Aston Villa did.
Fans quickly lashed out at Ferguson and expressed their surprise at his reaction on social media.
— What game was he watching? Posted by one viewer on X, formerly Twitter. Another wrote: “Someone needs to tell him he doesn’t have to try to play mind games anymore.”
A third commented: “Bless him!” He’s clearly losing his sight! “Villa were terrible, but don’t take anything away from Newcastle!”
Leon Bailey’s late strike sealed Aston Villa’s victory over Manchester City on Wednesday.
United fans have rallied behind their former boss given Villa’s position in the table after beating Pep Guardiola’s side.
One viewer spotted the reaction from former Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard, who wrote: “Look at Howard, he agrees when he thinks he’s talking about us, but when he says ‘Villa’ he looks embarrassed!”
While a Newcastle fan account accompanied its quote post with the words: “Come again???”
Not even halfway through the campaign, Ferguson can feel confident about taking a victory lap as Villa look in good shape to at least challenge for a Champions League place.
Ferguson’s supporters used the same energy to praise their former boss, with some hinting that his vision strengthens his claim to be the greatest manager of all time.
Emery’s side host Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday in another test of their abilities.
