Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 0: Evans gamble, lucky Rashford, what now for Ten Hague?

Manchester United drew 0-0 with Aston Villa in the international break with manager Erik ten Haag behind an improved display from his reshuffled team.

The Dutchman, who was under pressure coming into the match, dropped Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez for Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire when the pair were paired against Porto in the 3-3 Europa League draw earlier in the week.

Maguire, who scored a late equalizer in that game, went off injured at half-time, and was replaced by de Ligt, and his side held their own in a tight game.

The result means United are 14th in the Premier League table, with Villa fifth.

Here, our writers Carl Anka and Mark Critchley break down the game's key moments.

What was United's game plan?

It is unusual for a Premier League manager after more than two seasons to face questions about the type of football he is trying to play.

Erik ten Haag tried to provide some answers in the first half at Villa Park. The United manager rolled the dice and went for a bold starting XI with Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire as his centre-back pairing. Eagle-eyed scouts eventually realized that the line-up bore a lot of similarities to the side that beat Villa 3-2 on Boxing Day last year, but after United started, it became clear that Ten Hague had changed things.

Diogo Dalot spent most of the first half playing high and wide at left-back. Rather than flipping into central midfield to help in build-up play, as he has done in recent weeks. This had an encouraging effect on Marcus Rashford in front of him, with the pair attempting to break down Villa's high defensive line.

United also managed to enjoy periods of steady possession for some time in the first half, looking to circulate the ball deep into the area while finding an optimal angle to launch a direct attack into a fast front three.

But some poor weight on Bruno Fernandes' passes, combined with some iffy hold-up play from Rasmus Hojlund kept things from really clicking.

Carl the duck

Evans implements

Ten Haag claimed his selection of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans was purely for “rotation”, but he was not usually one to cut and change the heart of his defense – especially for a game like this.

Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt were likely left out after their difficult night at Drogba and Ten Haag was defending his first-choice centre-back partnership with his pre-match comments.

But then Maguire and Evans were arguably better suited to the conservative approach United took anyway: sat in a low block, tasked with doing the basics of defending on the edge of their own box. Both performed well, especially Evans — awarded man of the match — who made a couple of tackles in the first half.

And interestingly, when Maguire went down with an injury, it was the D League that stepped up. As you might expect, one right-sided centre-back replaces the other. But the less-spectacular Victor Lindelof also opted to replace Nousair Mazraoui at right-back, with Dalot switching sides and Martinez being introduced at left-back.

Martinez's long spell out was interesting given how Ten Hague overcame many of last season's difficulties. Usually integral to how United want to play, it was a rare instance of Ten Hag ignoring arguably his most trusted lieutenant in a time of need, and perhaps the clearest sign yet that the United manager knows he needs to think differently to save his job.

Mark Critchley

Rush Rashford

United players and staff appeared frustrated with referee Rob Jones' performance late in the first half, where they saw three yellow cards and, in their view, Villa got away with similar infringements.

But things even out themselves over the course of a season as they say — and sometimes over the course of a single game — and Rashford can count himself somewhat lucky not to be sent off in the second half.

In the 59th minute, he chased down Matty Cash near the touchline before committing a foul to stop a counter-attack. It was a soft booking but then, three minutes later, he defiantly brought down Leon Bailey on the edge of United's penalty box.

Villa players and fans are furious he did not get a second booking. It led to Bruno Fernandez's intervention by talking to the referee and ten Haag taking Rashford off the pitch from the fourth official.

Not that he would stay long. Ten Haag felt he had no choice but to replace Rashford shortly after. Given Fernandez's late red card last week, it wasn't the smartest game and meant United were without a player who had been their most dangerous counter-attacking outlet for the past half hour.

Mark Critchley

What do these results mean?

United's 3-3 draw with Porto has been hailed as “great entertainment for neutrals”. Sunday's mildly improved performance likely irritated those who tuned in to observe.

Ten Hague's side had failed to score in three of their last four Premier League games before facing Villa. Outside of a Marcus Rashford effort in the first half and a Bruno Fernandes free kick in the second half that bounced off the woodwork, they rarely threatened.

A theme for the team was the “suck it up and hit it back a lot” approach to their forward arsenal. Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hjlund all struggled to hold onto the ball in the final third — and with no hook to sustain the attack, things looked shapeless.

In the 64th minute the identities of Joshua Zirkzy and Anthony changed very little. United have, however, reduced the number of serious mistakes in recent defeats but they have certainly struggled to show enough effort/skill/conviction (delete as you like) to win the game. They have scored just five league goals this season. This is not good enough for one side of their ambition.

A point stopped some bleeding, but they remain in the bottom half of the league table with one of their lowest points after seven matches. Senior club officials from INEOS were present for the match and a meeting will be held on Tuesday between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Joel Glazer.

If United are to succeed in 2024-25, all relevant parties need to find better solutions to chronic problems.

Carl the duck

What did Ten Haag say?

Whether he has spoken to the club hierarchy, the Dutchman told Sky Sports. “We always talk. We talk every week. We are all together, on the same page. We know where we are working. This is a long-term project and we need to improve the process further.”

Of the game, he added: “I think it's the fourth clean sheet this season. You can see that we had a very good organization and unity. There was good character and good spirit as a team. Determined, resilient.”

What's next for Aston Villa?

Saturday, October 19: Fulham (A), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am

What's next for Manchester United?

Saturday, October 19: Brentford (H), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am

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(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Photo via Getty Images)