Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that a hard-fought draw at Aston Villa eases the intense scrutiny surrounding his position.
The club’s co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was present at Villa Park, where United displayed some of the resilience missing in their recent home defeat to Tottenham and the defensive solidity that was lacking in their Europa League loss to Porto.
Ten Hag relied on the experienced pairing of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans to bring stability to the defense, though England international Maguire was forced off due to injury just before halftime.
Marcus Rashford tested Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez on two occasions, while United captain Bruno Fernandes came closest to scoring with a second-half free-kick that struck the crossbar at the Holte End. Substitute Antony also challenged Martinez with a long-range effort, prompting an acrobatic save.
United goalkeeper Andre Onana had a relatively quiet game but made an impressive save to deny a powerful shot from Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans.
Ten Hag now hopes that Ratcliffe and the rest of United’s hierarchy saw enough promise to maintain their faith in him, despite the team’s five-game winless streak.
Small mercies for Ten Hag
Manchester United needed to avoid defeat at Aston Villa to prevent further pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, which could have led the club’s hierarchy to consider a change.
While it wasn’t a standout performance, and much of the game was marked by mediocrity, United showed determination and created the better chances to secure a win.
In his search for defensive stability after poor showings against Tottenham and Porto, Ten Hag paired 36-year-old Jonny Evans with Harry Maguire at the heart of the defense, leaving out Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez. The duo performed admirably, especially Evans, despite Maguire having to leave the game at halftime.
Villa, a strong team at home under Unai Emery, posed a threat, but United displayed improved discipline, managing to keep them at bay—something even Bayern Munich struggled with in the Champions League.
Ten Hag can take some satisfaction from the performance and may feel unfortunate not to have taken all three points, particularly after Bruno Fernandes’ well-placed free-kick struck the woodwork, denying United a lead.
With the international break now giving United’s leadership time to reflect, the team will hope to build on this positive result when they face Brentford at Old Trafford in their next Premier League fixture.
Villa lack Champions League spark
Aston Villa and their supporters poured so much energy and emotion into Wednesday’s remarkable Champions League win against Bayern Munich that it was perhaps inevitable they couldn’t maintain the same intensity for Manchester United’s visit.
Villa Park’s atmosphere was notably subdued, a stark contrast to the electric scene before, during, and after the Bayern match. Emery’s team lacked the sharpness and aggression that defined their victory over the German giants, and even the second-half introduction of talismanic substitute Jhon Duran, who had been the match-winner against Bayern, couldn’t lift the mood, despite being greeted by enthusiastic applause.
Villa’s fans made efforts to energize the team, but their push fell short, and once again, they relied on goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s excellence, as he had more to do than United’s Andre Onana—though neither had much action.
In the end, the animated Emery and his players appeared to accept a draw, but it still marked a successful week in Villa’s ongoing development.
Player of the match: Jonny Evans.