Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that the hard-fought draw at Aston Villa helps ease the growing pressure surrounding his position.
With United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe present at Villa Park, Ten Hag’s side displayed a resilience that was missing in their previous defeats, notably the collapse against Tottenham at Old Trafford and the defensive frailties seen in their Europa League loss to Porto.
In an effort to bolster United’s defense, Ten Hag opted for the experienced pairing of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans. However, Maguire had to be substituted due to injury just before half-time.
United had their chances, with Marcus Rashford testing Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez on two occasions, while Bruno Fernandes came closest to breaking the deadlock with a second-half free-kick that rattled the crossbar. Substitute Antony also forced Martinez into a spectacular save from a long-range effort.
On the other side, United goalkeeper Andre Onana had a relatively quiet evening, but he made a crucial save to deny a powerful shot from Villa’s midfielder Youri Tielemans.
Despite the draw extending United’s winless run to five games, Ten Hag will hope that the club’s hierarchy, including Ratcliffe, saw enough fight and improvement to maintain their trust in him as they work to turn things around.
SOURCE: BBC
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