The day Paul Scholes stole the show from Cristiano Ronaldo, despite dazzling brace from Portugal star

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Following on from Manchester United’s 2025 defeat to Aston Villa, we are choosing to rewind to happier times in 2006.

The last time Manchester United beat Aston Villa away was in the 2023/24 season, with goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay. In fact, wins at Villa have been pretty regular for United, even making good use of the ground in FA Cup semi-finals too.

But you will really struggle to find a more eye-catching and one-sided victory than Sir Alex Ferguson‘s side’s demolition job in 2006.

On this day, December 23 in 2006, Manchester United strolled into Villa Park and beat the home side with a sprinkling of absolute magic.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 2,000th goal under Sir Alex Ferguson

The 2006/07 season was a special time. It was a season where Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney‘s partnership reached a new level, along with their individual play.

Aided by the transformative signing of Michael Carrick, Manchester United went on to end a Premier League trophy drought, winning the title for the first time since 2002/03.

In the game at Villa Park, Ronaldo achieved a real milestone, scoring the 2,000th goal for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.

United scored a total of 2,769 under Ferguson before his retirement in 2013, including five in his final game.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike was an impressive one. He picked the ball up in his own half, and ran through the Villa midfield and to the edge of the penalty area.

After his initial shot was blocked, he lashed in an unstoppable effort past helpless goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Sir Alex Ferguson was in awe of Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance, and what he was beginning to achieve.

Ferguson said: “Ronaldo was unbelievable, he was a revelation today and he is as good as anyone in the country.”

Ronaldo ended the season with a career-best 23 goals in all competitions, 17 in the Premier League.

He went on to almost double the figure the following season with an amazing 42-goal haul.

And yet in the 3-0 win at Villa Park, even though Ronaldo rounded off United’s win with a third goal from a Gary Neville assist, teammate Paul Scholes stole his thunder.

Paul Scholes stole the show

Paul Scholes made an art of scoring spectacular goals, and by his own admission, his best ever strike came at Villa Park in 2006.

After a corner was headed out in his direction, Scholes hit a thunderous volley from the edge of the box, which hit the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net.

It’s one of those goals that needs to be seen again, and again.

The goal won the Premier League goal of the month for December 2006.

And in a 2022 episode of The Overlap, Neville and Scholes shared an exchange looking back at the strike.

Neville asked: “Best goal you’ve ever scored? Villa away?”

Scholes simply responded: “Yeah,” before Neville added: “It has to be. It’s the one goal I remember when you scored it, I was like ‘oh my god, what the ____ is that? That’s unbelievable.”

In 2006/07, Scholes scored six Premier League goals, among his 155 total strikes for the club. And according to his own brief one-word answer, none were better than the strike at Villa Park.