Aston Villa vs Manchester United. Premier League.
Villa Park.
Match report and highlights as Man Utd hold Aston Villa to a goalless draw at Villa Park; Erik ten Hag was under pressure following the 3-0 loss to Tottenham and 3-3 draw with Porto; Sir Jim Ratcliffe watched on as Villa were unable to break them down
Sunday 6 October 2024 17:32, UK
Manchester United played out a cagey goalless draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park to ease the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag in front of watching part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Dire defensive displays against Tottenham and Porto had left Ten Hag under scrutiny but he responded by dropping Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez for Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans and an improved showing followed, albeit without offering much in attack.
Maguire had to go off with a leg injury at half-time but the 36-year-old Evans continued to impress as Villa, showing signs of fatigue following their famous Champions League win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, struggled to break them down.
Morgan Rogers fired wide in the first half and Youri Tielemans forced a save from Andre Onana after the break but it was United who went closest to scoring, with Bruno Fernandes, available after his red card against Spurs was overturned, crashing a free-kick off the bar.
There was a let-off for United when Marcus Rashford avoided a second yellow card for a trip on Leon Bailey in the second half, and a low-quality game finally opened up in stoppage time when Diogo Dalot made a goal-line block from Jaden Philogene and Alejandro Garnacho missed a golden chance to put Fernandes through on goal.
The draw extends United's winless run to five games in all competitions and ensures they have made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, having taken only eight points from seven games, but the battling display should at least earn Ten Hag a reprieve going into the international break.
Ten Hag's side remain in 14th place in the Premier League, while Villa fall three points behind third-placed Arsenal in fifth place.
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag to Sky Sports:
"We had very good organisation and very good personality in the team. Resilient, determined. So it was a very good spirit as a team.
"We almost didn't concede a chance. When you defend like this, you can have some luck, like in the end with the big chance at the back post.
"But that was almost the only chance they had. We had some control in possession. We created some chances, although not so many.
"It was really balanced. We hit the bar and a good chance for Rashy. But the two teams were really balanced."
On Sir Jim Ratcliffe's presence at Villa Park: "We always speak. Every week we speak.
"We are all on board, all together, on one page. We know what we are working towards.
"It's a long-term project and we have to keep improving the process.
"We had two very tough away games and we showed the belief and the spirit that we have."
On the injuries to Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui: "We had to take them off at half-time. Tomorrow we have to see what is the diagnosis on it."
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery to Sky Sports:
"It's not the best result but it's not the worst. With how we played in the first half and second half, I think the draw could be fair for both teams.
"At the end, we had two good chances to score. Maybe that was the key moment to beat them. But in the 90 minutes we missed some energy.
"I'm happy because the draw was not the worst result. In the second half, we corrected some tactical things and we controlled things better."
Man Utd defender Jonny Evans to Sky Sports:
"It wasn't perfect and we didn't pass as well as we'd like to. But it's a point away from home against a good side.
"We wanted to make sure we didn't concede and we almost won it at the end.
"They have good players so you're never comfortable. You always have to be on your toes. We did well.
"I still feel like I've got a bit of speed in the legs. I just play the same way.
"The manager told me after the game the other night I would be starting but I wasn't even expecting to come on against Porto.
"I just enjoy every moment and try to make the most of it."
"At one point I thought Gary and Phil Neville might be the full-backs," quipped Gary Neville after hearing about the inclusion of his 36-year-old former team-mate Evans in United's starting line-up.
Ten Hag made bold calls with his team selection, drafting in Maguire as well as Evans as De Ligt and Martinez were dropped following the defensive horror shows against Spurs and Porto. But what followed was their best defensive display of the season.
Neville was eager to stress that it seemed a desperate move ahead of kick-off. "This is not the plan," said the Sky Sports pundit. "The plan this season was for Erik ten Hag to establish his style of play, shift them up the pitch and make them more aggressive."
But the changes did at least have the desired effect in the short term. Maguire was forced off at half-time due to injury but Evans battled through the 90 minutes as United's best player, earning the player-of-the-match award in a performance which belied his age.
Villa had won a third consecutive home game with their Champions League victory over Bayern Munich in midweek but United limited them to 11 shots worth a meagre 0.42 expected goals and Evans was key, winning 11 out of 12 duels and all five of his aerials.
Ollie Watkins had the beating of him in terms of pace, but the Aston Villa striker did not get a chance to use it, such was the intelligence of Evans' positioning. This was hardly a corner turned for United. But Evans helped give Ten Hag what he needed on the day.
