Under fire manager Erik ten Hag took his Manchester United to Villa Park to take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa on Sunday where both sides played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw.
An overview of the game
The first half was largely uneventful with Aston Villa not really troubling Andre Onana in goal and Marcus Rashford having one shot well saved by Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
The second half was a little livelier, especially from Aston Villa with Youri Tielemans having a shot well saved by Onana, Jaden Philogene having a shot well blocked by Diogo Dalot and Ollie Watkins having a shot just over the bar. Manchester United’s attacking threat was minimal in the second half with Bruno Fernandes having the best chance with a free kick that hit the bar.
In the end, both sides looked satisfied to be settling for a point.
What did we learn from an Aston Villa perspective?
Aston Villa fresh from a win against German giants Bayern Munich looked out of sorts somewhat. Having only one shot in target all game and players such as Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey were really ineffective.
Aston Villa looked brighter after Jhon Duran came on in the 63rd minute and it lifted the crowd. Morgan Rodgers showed flashes late on where he picked up the ball in pockets of space, ran at the defence and created some good openings.
Defensively Unai Emery’s side looked solid even after an early injury to Ezri Konsa. Pau Torres and Diego Carlos were largely untroubled by an impotent Manchester United attack.
What did learn from a Manchester United perspective?
Defensively Manchester United looked the best they have looked all season. When the lineups were released prior to kick-off there were some raised eyebrows but Harry Maguire in the first half before going off injured and Jonny Evans were comfortably United’s two best players.
Jonny Evans was colossal at the back and made some great last ditch tackles and blocks to keep the scores level. He simply didn’t put a foot wrong.
Marcus Rashford was Ten Hag’s side’s best attacking option having two shots on target and picking the ball to try to make things happen. Rashford was rightly substituted in the second half after he nearly got a second yellow card and after that, United’s attacking threat really diminished.
What does this result mean for both teams?
Aston Villa clearly were not at their best and fatigue from their Champions League victory over Bayern Munich played its part so they will be happy enough with a point that leaves them in 5th with 14 points from 7 games.
Manchester United in isolation will be happy with a point at Villa Park, especially given both team’s start to the season but this result leaves United in 14th place with 8 points from 7 games which is clearly a poor start to the season for them.
Will this result ease the pressure on Erik ten Hag?
A draw away to Aston Villa as a one-off result is a good result for most teams but you match that with the start to the season Manchester United has had its been a very poor start.
Manchester United sit 14th in the Premier League having only scored 5 goals in the league this season so far, only Southampton have scored less. Ten Hag’s side also hasn’t won in five games, their last win in the league was on 14th September against strugglers Southampton.
When the league resumes from the international break it will be over a month since their last league victory.