Analysis: Poor run of results continues
More post match analysis from the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.
Our worst start to a league season in recent memory continued with a goalless draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, a match that fell far short of expectations and registered the lowest combined expected goals (xG) of any Premier League game in the last two years.
In hindsight, perhaps history could have been a better guide. Villa had only beaten us once at home in their previous 25 meetings, yet the dominant narrative in the lead-up centred around Erik ten Hag’s struggles, with the anticipation of yet another slip-up looming large.
Under pressure, the Dutch manager replaced his centre-backs with Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez after conceding six goals in the last two matches. Christian Eriksen again lined up in midfield alongside Kobbie Mainoo, but the changes did little to spark United’s attack. Instead, the match turned into a scrappy affair, where a more defensive approach might have served better.
European Super Football view of the match
Four United players were shown yellow cards, including Maguire, who was substituted at half-time. Marcus Rashford also found himself in the book after a reckless challenge in the second half, seemingly borne out of frustration. Rashford was the only United player posing any real threat going forward, testing Emiliano Martínez early on but struggling to combine effectively with his fellow attackers.
Rashford was taken off midway through the second half, possibly as a precaution to preserve him, with Antony coming on in his place, though his contribution was limited to a few speculative efforts.
In a surprising turn of events, Aston Villa offered little going forward. They may have been feeling the effects of their midweek triumph, a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Villa's best chance was comfortably saved by André Onana in the first half, and Diogo Dalot made a crucial late block to deny Jayden Philogene what looked like a certain goal.
Big questions remain
Despite the pressure on the team and our beleaguered manager, Unai Emery’s side failed to capitalise. Whether this will be enough to ease the heat on Ten Hag remains uncertain. United now languish in 14th place, with just eight points and five goals from seven matches, and two humiliating home defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Tottenham still fresh in the memory.
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