Aston Villa’s relegation to the Championship has been confirmed after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford’s seventh goal of the season, turning in Antonio Valencia’s low cross on 32 minutes, proved the winner in Villa’s 24th defeat of the season, which leaves them an insurmountable 15 points short of safety with four games left. The West Midlands club end their 28-year stay in the top-flight with one of the poorest campaigns from any Premier League side - and they went out with a whimper. Substitute Rudy Gestede went closest late on when he hit the post from a corner but United should have scored more, with Memphis Depay hitting the post in stoppage time, as Wayne Rooney made his first start in over two months after injury. Villa’s fate has appeared a foregone conclusion for some time, with the club sitting bottom of the division since November 2 and winning just three games all season, but that will do little to soften the blow to one of England’s biggest clubs. The hosts were buoyed by the return of Rooney, making his first start since February 13 as one of five changes to the side that won at West Ham in midweek, with boss Louis van Gaal mindful of another game against Crystal Palace on Wednesday and an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley next weekend. Rooney was lively and influential from the start and his side bossed the opening 20 minutes, with Marouane Fellaini and Chris Smalling both heading wide from corners before Juan Mata danced into the area and should have found the target from 12 yards. At the other end, Jordan Ayew and Kieran Richardson smashed speculative efforts over the bar from distance as Villa struggled to cope with United’s movement, and Valencia found space on the right to pick out Rashford for a well-taken opener. Villa had a debatable case for a penalty as Ayew was brought down in the box, but got nothing, and the forward continued to be a rare live-wire for the away side, almost finding the net on the stroke of half-time when a close-range shot was blocked by Smalling. United then had their own shout fora penalty when Rashford was brought down by Alan Hutton, but got nothing either, before the young striker got up and was put through by Mata to flash a shot wide of the near post. Depay and Daley Blind flashed excellent crosses in front of the Villa goal as United hunted for a second, but they were fortunate not to draw the game after Gestede emerged from the bench to cause problems. The goal was gaping as the forward tried to turn home Ayew’s cut back, but his shot was blocked, before he volleyed against the upright with six minutes left. But Villa had to win to have any hope of embarking on a great escape and, as they have done for most of the season, they fell short of what is required to win a Premier League football match. --- *The Guardian* Saturday, 16 April 2016 *Aston Villa fans fury over Joleon Lescott’s ‘relegation a relief’ comment* Joleon Lescott has provoked yet more anger from Villa fans after describing their relegation from the Premier League as a relief – calling it “a weight off the shoulders” for the players. Villa’s fate was finally confirmed by their ninth successive defeat, 1-0 at Manchester United, in a game marked by more fan protests against the team and the board. When the caretaker manager, Eric Black, urged the Villa players to acknowledge the travelling supporters at the end, only a handful did so. Lescott – who has been at the centre of several of the club’s most awkward off-field headlines this season – then caused another online backlash with comments he made after the final whistle. “We knew before the game what we had to do but coming to Old Trafford is never easy, no matter what situation you’re in,” he told the BBC. “We showed a level of pride that there’s probably not been enough of throughout the season. “It’s about results so regardless of how we played in patches today we are relegated … But now it’s confirmed maybe it’s a weight off the shoulders and we can give these fans what they deserve, some performances. “Throughout the season we have given reasons for people to jump on us. It’s part of football, we have to take that on the chin. It’s a tough time at the minute. But at the back of our minds is next season to get promoted. I’m here for as long as Aston Villa want me.” During the match Villa fans had chanted “Joleon Lescott: he’s got a new car” – a reference to one of the moments that seemed to sum up the fractured relationship between supporters and players this season. Lescott had claimed in February that a tweet he sent in the wake of Villa’s humiliating 6-0 defeat by Liverpool, which contained just a picture of a £125,000 sports car was sent in error while the phone was in his pocket. He apologised both for the tweet and for what he called “mine and team’s lack of commitment for the 90 minutes”. That came a month after Lescott and the goalkeeper Brad Guzan had clashed verbally with their own fans during a 1-1 FA Cup third round draw at Wycombe. Addressing the media at Old Trafford, Black tried to build bridges – but with the club captain, Gabby Agbonlahor, again dropped, this time accused of “not training properly”, he admitted repairing the damage would take time. “I am humbled by our support. We had 32,000 at our last game even though they have seen us win at home about 18 times in the last four years. “All I have tried to do in the short time I have been at the club is take small steps forward to offer the supporters some encouragement. “I understand that there is a disconnect between the team and the fans at the moment and that’s what we need to work on, because supporters don’t want to be attacking their team. It is a massive transformation you have to make. “You will need to move some players on and find you are unable to, and you will lose some of the players you want to keep. The rebuild has to start right now.”