Aston Villa vs. Man United final score: Premier League result, stats as Ten Hag's strugglers battle to bore draw

Erik ten Hag kept his head above water as Manchester United played out a dour 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

Each side seemed compromised by their European efforts in midweek, with Villa unable to recapture the swell of emotion and thrill that accompanied their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

United played out a chaotic 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League and Ten Hag responded by changing his centre-back pairing, with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans coming in as two of the Dutchman's flagship signings — Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt — dropped to the bench.

The outcome was a more cautious and disciplined United backline, something that remained even as Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui departed due to injury at halftime. Villa's attackers were unable to summon their usual verve and did not enjoy a clear opening until injury time when Diogo Dalot produced a goal-saving block to deny Jaden Philogene on his full Premier League debut.

A more solid defensive base compromised United's threat as an attacking force, which was negligible throughout. Ten Hag's side have scored five times in seven matches this term, only second-bottom Southampton have fewer goals to their name. They did come closest to breaking the deadlock at Villa Park when Bruno Fernandes' second-half free-kick cannoned off the crossbar.

United were perhaps fortunate not to have Marcus Rashford sent off for a trip on Leon Bailey after he'd been booked, but even that incident typified the impression of a team willing to get the job done by any means necessary. The veteran Evans produced a man-of-the-match display.

None of which is especially in line with the grand long-term plans of the recently assembled Old Trafford footballing operation. Their team remain languishing in 14th, but few clubs in the top flight would sniff at a point away to fifth-placed Villa. Ten Hag might just have earned a stay of execution.

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Aston Villa vs. Manchester United score

Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
Referee: Robert Jones (England)

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Lineups:

Aston Villa (4-3-3, right to left): 23. Emiliano Martinez (GK) — 2. Matty Cash, 4. Ezri Konsa (3. Diego Carlos), 14. Pau Torres, 12. Lucas Digne (22. Ian Maatsen) — 19. Jaden Philogene, 6. Ross Barkley, 8. Youri Tielemans — 31. Leon Bailey (9. Jhon Duran), 11. Ollie Watkins, 27. Morgan Rogers

Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): 24. Andre Onana (GK) — 3. Noussair Mazraoui (2. Victor Lindelof), 5. Harry Maguire (4. Matthijs de Ligt), 35. Jonny Evans, 20. Diogo Dalot — 14. Christian Eriksen, 37. Kobbie Mainoo (18. Casemiro) — 17. Alejandro Garnacho, 8. Bruno Fernandes, 10. Marcus Rashford (21. Antony) — 9. Rasmus Hojlund (11. Joshua Zirkzee)

MORE: All the latest Man Utd news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Aston Villa vs Manchester United stats

Aston Villa vs. Manchester United live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

We're done. A valuable point for United, who remain 14th in the table. Only second-bottom Southampton have scored fewer goals than Erik ten Hag's side in the opening seven games of the season. You could be uncharitable and say United dragged Villa down to their level because they created nothing of note before Philogene's injury-time chance. Let us never speak of this again. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

90 mins+5: Jonny Evans named man of the match by Sky Sports. Thoroughly deserved for the veteran.

90 mins+4: United get away from the corner and Garnacho has the Villa half to break into. Still going, but he can't find Fernandes as Cash blocks behind for the corner. Duran up to clear behind.

90 mins+3: Should be a winner for Villa! The hosts have men over, De Ligt loses his footing and Philogene has time to pick his spot at the back post. Dalot makes a heroic block.

90 mins+2: The referee is back on the field and we're ready to go with this Villa free-kick on the left. Fernandes gets up very well to clear at the near post.

90 mins+1: Six minutes of additional time signalled but there'll probably be more as Jones is still having his comms device fixed. The crowd are not happy.

87 mins: Lindelof clumps down Rogers and is booked. It's a silly challenge. Villa will surely take a good attacking free-kick eventually. We'll have to wait for this one of the left wing as referee Rob Jones gets his VAR communications device fixed.

84 mins Another change for each team. Casemiro replaces Mainoo for United, while Maatsen is on for Digne at left-back for Villa. Each like-for-like changes but the hosts' feels attacking, while United's suggests shutting this game down.

81 mins: Garnacho probing forward, lays off to Zirkzee who completely fails to control the ball. I'm afraid that's rubbish. As is Duran smashing the ball out for a goal kick from out on the left wing. Do we want to just shake hands on this one now, lads?

76 mins: Digne, whose radar has been a little off all day, flings his shot over.

75 mins: De Light clumsily into Watkins about 25 yards out. Digne and Barkley like the look of this one.

72 mins: Garnacho with a rare opportunity to try and make things happen in the final third. Carlos turns it back to his goalkeeper but appears to have hurt himself in the process.

68 mins: Fernandes hits the crossbar! Absolutely fabulous free-kick from the Portugal star, who has been on the margins of this one. Antony plonks the rebound out for a goal kick.

67 mins: Cash fouls Garnacho and United have a rare attacking situation here. Free-kick about 25 yards out slightly to the left of the goal. Fernandes to take.

64 mins: Ten Hag opts to save Rashford from himself. Antony is on in his place.

62 mins: Bailey goes past Rashford, who hangs his leg out. A clear foul and the referee opts not to dish out the second yellow card that absolutely could have come his way. Duran on for Bailey before the right-wing free-kick is taken.

61 mins: Watkins and Rogers continue to look the most likely and try to pull off a one-two. De Ligt reads their intentions and boots clear. Jhon Duran is getting ready to come on. Uh-oh, Marcus...

59 mins: Rashford sprints back, clumsily fouls Cash and is booked. Perhaps that's why he doesn't track back sometimes. No huge Villa chances to speak of yet, but the past 10 minutes give the impression of United hanging on a little bit.

57 mins: The next corner is also short and ends with Digne passing it out for a United goalkick. That wasn't how it looked in the playbook. From open play, that's more like. it. Evans can't make the challenge on Rogers and Watkins fires a dipping effort across Onana and just over.

56 mins: Nice interplay from Villa down the United left sees Cash's cutback blocked behind for a corner. The hosts go short again and Tielemans is in space 25 yards out. He strikes it sweetly and Onana pushes behind.

51 mins: Villa move smoothly up the field and Digne wins a corner off Garnacho. Tielemans cuts it back to Cash on the corner of the box, who wallops his shot high and wide.

49 mins: Rashford cuts in off the left and lets go of a rasping right-footed strike. Martinez taking no chances and tips over the top. From the corner. Garnacho drags wide from the edge of the box having failed to really set himself.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back underway and it's a double change for United. De Ligt replaced Maguire as expected but Mazraoui is also off, meaning a first Premier League appearance since March for Victor Lindelof out at right-back.

Halftime

It looks like we might see one of United's jettisoned centre-backs when the match resumes. This game has been low on incident or quality, which given the recent turbulence endured by his side might suit Ten Hag down to the ground. For Villa, it feels like a case of after the Lord Mayor's show in the aftermath of their own over Bayern. Here's to a better second half!

45 mins+3: Another Dinge free-kick and another sub-par delivery. The second ball into the box is more probing but it comes to nought. Maguire is down. Now he's hobbling and looks to be in a lot of pain with his knee.

45 mins+1: Into three added minutes. Hojlund darts after a ball over the top but Carlos shuts the door and dispatches his man to the turf.

44 mins: Tielemans plonks the free-kick right into Onana's gloves. This really hasn't been a very good game.

43 mins: Garnacho absent-mindedly returns the favour and Villa have a free-kick on the left in a crossing position.

40 mins: Maguire does well to read a deflected Bailey shot and head it away from the United goalmouth. Digne gives away a cheap foul on Garnacho and the Villa attack ends.

37 mins: Watkins looks to dart around the outside of Maguire, who blocks him off with his arm and is booked. Villa free-kick in a dangerous position on the right flank.

36 mins: Digne arcs in a lovely cross from the left and Bailey arrives at the back post. He should head it but elects to volley and shins it over his own head. Not ideal.

32 mins: Space for Rogers to operate on the break. The attack ends with Evans again impressing. Tielemans gets Villa back on the front foot and they win the corner. It comes to nought.

29 mins: Bailey to Barkley in the area. The Liverpudlian's touch is heavy and it allows Evans to make the challenge and win the foul.

26 mins: Dalot gets away with a slip as the ball ricochets off Watkins. United will be happy enough that Villa have failed to create too much of note. Perhaps their exertions against Bayern and the emotional high of that midweek result will be a factor after all.

20 mins: Philogene is allowed to advance and lets fly from 25 yards. The shot is well struck but curls fairly comfortably wide in the end. Nevertheless, it's another worrying example of United's passive efforts in front of their own backline.

17 mins: A cute pass from Dalot releases Hojlund down Villa's right channel. Carlos does his first piece of work today in authoritative fashion.

11 mins: Villa forced into an early change as Ezri Konsa makes way for Diego Carlos. Bad news for England too, heading into the international break.

8 mins: As the form book would suggest, Villa look by far the sharper side. Rogers and Watkins get too much time and space to exchange passes and the former thunders just wide from the edge of the box.

4 mins: The reshaped United backline deal with Digne's free-kick from the right.

3 mins: Eriksen was another of Ten Hag's surprise selections and the experienced midfielder is already into the book for pulling down Rogers. Not ideal.

Kickoff: 1st Half

United get us underway for what could be a pivotal 90 minutes for the club and their manager.

2 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams. Strap yourselves in!

20 mins before kickoff: Ten Hag has attributed his defensive choices to rotation and the specific requirements of facing this Villa side. This pacey, direct Villa side. Hmmmm.

40 mins before kickoff: Gary Neville has had his say on United's surprise defensive selection, telling Sky Sports that it feels like the sort of decision a manger makes when they are approaching the end.

I actually at one point thought Gary and Phil Neville might be fullbacks!

I must admit that if you think about the fact Manchester United have six centre-backs, if you'd said to me five or six weeks ago that you'd end up with Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire… Jonny Evans has been a fantastic centre-back, Harry Maguire's a really good centre-back still

But if you'd said to me that they'd end up with these two at centre-back six or seven games in I'd have said there must be four injuries to the others. The fact that De Ligt and Martinez have been dumped to the bench… you can't really argue with the decision from a footballing perspective because if you watch the goals United conceded in Porto they were horrific from De Ligt and Martinez's point of view.

But just optically, from the point of view of the plan, the plan this season was for Erik ten Hag to establish his style of play, shift the team up the pitch, make them more aggressive, make them more in the style of what he wanted to implement.

United now are going to be camped at the edge of their box with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans. This is not the plan. So, for me, it's a little bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 

It feels a bit like when a manager is struggling at the end of his tenure and they throw the young players in or the players that they like or the players that they trust. It feels a little bit like that today. United have got results when Erik ten Hag has needed it in the past and we'll see what happens in the next couple of hours.

Getty Images

1 hour before kickoff: Matty Cash returns at right-back for Villa, with Ezri Konsa shifting over to partner Pau Torres in the heart of defence. There is still no start for supersub Jhon Duran despite his latest heroics against Bayern Munich. Jaden Philogene is rewarded for his efforts in midweek with a first Premier League start.

👇 Our starting XI for this afternoon's clash with Manchester United.#AVLMUN || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/DJWUmEENZ5

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 6, 2024

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The lineups are in. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho had a half each in Porto but each start in support of Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane scored in midweek and makes his first Premier League start of the season. Ten Hag makes a double change at centre-back, with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans in for Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.

Kobbie Mainoo is fit to return. That means Manuel Ugarte joins his fellow summer signing De Ligt among the substitutes. Bruno Fernandes captains the side despite being sent off in his past two matches. The Premier League retrospectively overturned last week's red card against Tottenham.

Your United squad for #AVLMUN 🫡#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 6, 2024

1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: The mood around these two clubs could scarcely be more different heading into Sunday's game. Jim Ratcliffe's refusal to offer assurances over Ten Hag's long-term future in the aftermath of the Porto draw felt ominous. Meanwhile, Unai Emery is a hero in tune with his fanbase, the sort of manager United have repeatedly tried and failed to find since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Getty Images

2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Aston Villa vs. Manchester United. Villa are on the crest of a Champions League wave, while under-fire United boss Erik ten Hag once again finds himself in the position of badly needing a positive result.

Aston Villa vs. Manchester United kick off time

This Premier League match takes place at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom and kicks off on Sunday, October 6 at 2:00 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major global territories:

Aston Villa vs. Manchester United lineups, team news

Villa have a couple of key injury issues heading into this clash. Midfielders Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey were both forced off against Bayern and miss out once more, though Leon Bailey makes a surprise return to the starting lineup.

Ross Barkley starts in midfield alongside Youri Tielemans, with John McGinn sidelined due to a hamstring issue. Jhon Duran once again has to be content with a place on the bench following his latest super-sub heroics against Bayern.

Aston Villa (4-3-3, right to left): E. Martinez (GK) — Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne — Philogene, Barkley, Tielemans — Bailey, Watkins, Rogers

Injured: Onana, Ramsey, McGinn, Kamara, Mings
Suspended: None

MORE: All the latest Man Utd news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

Ten Hag has made the startling call of dropping both Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt to start experienced duo Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire at centre-back.

Marcus Rashford was substituted at halftime of the Porto draw, which his manager described as being important for "rotation". He keeps his place and Alejandro Garnacho comes into the lineup.

Manuel Ugarte is on the bench as Kobbie Mainoo returns to partner Christian Eriksen in central midfield. Captain Bruno Fernandes is eligible to start after his red card against Tottenham was overturned.

Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): Onana (GK) — Mazraoui, Maguire, Evans, Dalot — Eriksen, Mainoo — Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford — Hojlund

Injured: Malacia, Mount, Shaw, Yoro, Lindelof
Suspended: None

Aston Villa vs. Manchester United live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:

United States:

• TV channel: USA Network 
• Live stream: Fubo

This Premier League clash is also available for live TV broadcast on USA Network. Streaming options are available on Fubo.

Canada:

• TV channel: _
• Live stream: Fubo Canada

Australia:

• TV channel: _
• Live stream: Optus Sport

India:

• TV channel: _
• Live stream: Jio TV, Disney+ Hotstar

UK:

• TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
• Live stream: Sky GO, Sky Sports website