7 october 2024 : Manchester United’s winless streak extended to five games following a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday, adding to the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.
Bruno Fernandes came closest to scoring, hitting the crossbar with a second-half free-kick, but United have now gone three Premier League games without finding the net. This latest draw leaves United 14th in the table, having won just two of their first seven league matches.
Ten Hag acknowledged the team’s struggles in front of goal, saying, “We know we’re lacking goals at the moment. It’s not a good start, and we need to improve in that area.”
Meanwhile, Villa missed the chance to break into the top four, unable to replicate their impressive midweek victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
United’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham last weekend intensified the pressure on Ten Hag, and their 3-3 Europa League draw with Porto on Thursday, where they squandered a two-goal lead, further complicated matters. Harry Maguire’s late equaliser salvaged a point, but it did little to ease the tension.
In response, Ten Hag benched Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, who had struggled in Portugal, and started Maguire and Jonny Evans in defence.
Villa, fresh off their European triumph, also showed signs of fatigue, and the match lacked energy. Villa boss Unai Emery admitted, “We missed some energy, but the draw wasn’t the worst result. We made some adjustments in the second half to control the game.”
Ten Hag had controversially substituted Marcus Rashford at halftime in the Porto match after he scored and set up Rasmus Hojlund’s second goal. Rashford was United’s most dangerous player against Villa, forcing goalkeeper Emi Martinez into two saves early on.
However, United had to reshuffle their defence again at halftime as Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui were forced off due to injuries, bringing on De Ligt and Victor Lindelof.
Rashford remained a threat but was lucky to avoid a second yellow card for two quick fouls on Leon Bailey. Ten Hag substituted him to avoid a third consecutive United red card.
Fernandes, whose red card from the Tottenham match had been rescinded, nearly won the game with a free-kick that hit the crossbar. Villa’s super-sub Jhon Duran, with five goals off the bench this season, couldn’t spark a win for Villa either. Their best chance came when Jaden Philogene’s shot was deflected wide by Diogo Dalot after a De Ligt defensive error.
United’s return of just eight points from their first seven league games marks their worst start since 1989. Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe was in the stands at Villa Park as the club heads into a two-week international break, with the United hierarchy facing a decision on Ten Hag’s future.
