Erik ten Hag suggests Douglas Luiz’s exuberant shoulder shimmy celebration may have ignited Raphael Varane dispute, potentially spurring Manchester United to victory over Aston Villa

In a tense match between Aston Villa and Manchester United, Douglas Luiz's celebratory shoulder shimmy after scoring angered Raphael Varane, leading to a heated confrontation after Scott McTominay's winning goal.

Douglas Luiz Shimmy Celebration Might Have Ignited Manchester United For Win
X @rioferdy5 and James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Luiz executed a shoulder shimmy celebration upon scoring Aston Villa’s equalizer in the second half, directly in front of Raphael Varane, which provoked the French defender. Following Scott McTominay’s decisive goal in the 86th minute, Varane confronted Luiz, leading to a heated altercation.

After the match, Ten Hag suggested that Luiz’s celebration could have spurred his team to score a late goal and secure all three points.

Addressing reporters at the post-game press conference, the United manager stated, “I don’t have an opinion about that. I haven’t spoken to the players. Maybe it’s fueling, I don’t know. I don’t think it is important. It is about us, we have to think about our game and not the opposition.”

Club icon and former England defender Rio Ferdinand took to social media following the game to ridicule the Aston Villa player for his celebration after the equalizer, posting, “U ok @dgoficial.”

The Red Devils continue to chase a top-four finish following consecutive victories over West Ham and Aston Villa. They currently trail fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by six points and are set to face Luton Town next on Sunday.

Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo

Midfielder

BrazilBrazil

Age: 26

177 cm

66 kg

Season 2024/2025
Played 5 1 Missed
Minutes 150 30.0 Avg
Goals 0 0.0 Avg
Assist 0 0.0 Avg
Attempt 2 0.4 Avg
Passes 118 23.656.8% AvgSucc
Yellow 0 0.0 Avg
Red 0 0.0 Avg

This season he played in total 23 times for 1974 minutes for Premier League.

Douglas Luiz scored 7 goals for Aston Villa. He procured 4 assists. He received 6 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 5th in Premier League. In the last match Aston Villa lost 2-1 against Manchester United.

Aston Villa performance and stats

Aston Villa

Manager: Unai Emery Etxegoien
Rank 6th
Win 2
Draw 0
Loss 0
Goals 4-0
Diff 4

Aston Villa is currently 5th in the Premier League with 46 points.

In the last 24 games, it has won 14 times, drawn 4 times, and lost 6 times. In its last match, Aston Villa lost 1-2 against Manchester United.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 50 goals and conceding 32.​

Aston Villa will play the next match in Premier League against Fulham on Saturday 17th of February in London.​

Raphaël Varane

Raphaël Varane

Defender

FranceFrance

Age: 31

191 cm

81 kg

This season he played in total 15 times for 901 minutes for Premier League.

Raphaël Varane scored 1 goal for Manchester United. He procured no assists. He received 1 yellow card and no red cards.

His team is currently 6th in Premier League. In the last match Manchester United won 2-1 against Aston Villa. The next match in Premier League will be against Luton Town.

Manchester United performance and stats

Manchester United

Manager: Erik ten Hag
Top 3 Scorers
This season

Manchester United is currently 6th in the Premier League with 41 points.

In the last 24 games, it has won 13 times, drawn twice, and lost 9 times. In its last match, Manchester United won 1-2 against Aston Villa.​​

It has a even goal difference after scoring 33 goals and conceding 33.​

Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Luton Town on Saturday 17th of February in Luton.​