Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that his team’s hard-fought draw at Aston Villa brings some relief from the intense scrutiny surrounding his position. With the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe watching from the stands at Villa Park, the pressure was on United to show resilience after a series of disappointing performances.
In recent weeks, Ten Hag’s side had been criticized for their lack of fight, especially after a disheartening collapse at home to Tottenham and a poor defensive display against Porto in the Europa League. However, the manager turned to his veteran defenders, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, to shore up the backline and restore some defensive stability. Unfortunately, Maguire was forced off with an injury just before half-time, adding to United’s woes.
Despite this setback, the team showed signs of improvement. Marcus Rashford twice tested Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, while Bruno Fernandes came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock with a second-half free-kick that rattled the crossbar. Substitute Antony also had a long-range effort spectacularly saved by Martinez.
On the other end of the pitch, United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana had a relatively quiet game but did well to deny a powerful shot from Villa’s Youri Tielemans.
While a draw might not be the result Manchester United fans were hoping for, Ten Hag can take some solace in the team’s renewed resilience. However, this result means United are still winless in their last five matches. Ten Hag will now hope that Ratcliffe and the rest of the club’s hierarchy saw enough fight in this performance to back him as the pressure continues to mount.
