Man United held to 0-0 draw vs Aston Villa

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that his team’s gritty performance in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa eases some of the pressure on his position. The Dutchman has been under intense scrutiny following recent poor results, but this display showed some of the resilience his side has been missing.

8 – With eight points (W2 D2 L3), this is Manchester United’s lowest tally in their opening seven matches of a league season since 1989-90 (7), when they went on to finish 13th under Alex Ferguson – his lowest league finish in charge of the club. Meagre. pic.twitter.com/RF3Z1iBrOo

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 6, 2024

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With co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in attendance at Villa Park, Ten Hag made a notable change by opting for the experienced defensive pairing of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans. However, Maguire had to leave the field due to injury just before half-time.

Marcus Rashford threatened Villa’s goal twice, while United captain Bruno Fernandes was unlucky not to score with a second-half free-kick that struck the crossbar. Substitute Antony also tested Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez with a long-range effort, forcing an acrobatic save.

At the other end, United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana had a quiet afternoon but produced a vital save to deny a powerful strike from Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans.

Despite the draw extending United’s winless run to five matches, Ten Hag will be hoping Ratcliffe and the club’s hierarchy saw enough improvement to back him through this challenging period.