Aston Villa's long-expected relegation from the Premier League was finally confirmed with a 1-0 loss away to Manchester United on Saturday as teenage rising star Marcus Rashford scored his seventh goal in 12 games. The 18-year-old striker, also on target in United's FA Cup quarter-final replay win over West Ham United in midweek, struck in the 32nd minute when he turned in Antonio Valencia's low cross.
Defeat left bottom-of-the-table Villa 15 points shy of safety with only a maximum of 12 on offer to the Birmingham club in their four remaining league matches this season. Villa, under the caretaker charge of Eric Black after former manager Remi Garde was sacked last month, have won just three times in 34 league games this campaign and Saturday's loss saw them drop down to the second-tier of English football for the first time in 29 years.
"It's a mood of disappointment," said Black. "What I will say is today I thought they were outstanding. "I know there has been criticism, some of it deserved, but today they made a step back for the supporters and showed there was some pride for the shirt. "There are players in there capable of playing in the Championship. People in certain places will make sure that Villa will come back, I'm confident of that." United's victory saw them move to within a point of local rivals Manchester City but manager Louis van Gaal criticised his side's display, saying: "I'm not too happy with the performance. We have to finish the games a lot earlier and today we didn't do that."
City will strengthen their grip on the fourth and last Champions League place on offer to English clubs if they win away to Chelsea in Saturday's late kick-off. Earlier, Sunderland gave themselves hope of yet another escape from relegation, with a 3-0 win away to fellow strugglers Norwich City. Victory at Carrow Road left the north-east side still in the bottom three but just one point adrift of Norwich and with a game in hand over the Canaries. Fabio Borini's first-half penalty and strikes from Jermain Defoe and Duncan Watmore after the interval saw Sunderland to a first win in seven matches.
The result was an understandable relief for Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce, who told the BBC: "The most pleasing thing of all was the clean sheet, that is our way forward with five games to go. "I know if we can keep two or three clean sheets in those games we'll be safe because I know we can score."
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