Premier League: Man United Extend Winless Streak to Five with Draw Against Aston Villa

Manchester United’s struggles continued with a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday, extending their winless streak to five games and adding to the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag. Despite Bruno Fernandes striking the crossbar with a free-kick in the second half, United has now gone three Premier League games without scoring.

This latest draw leaves United languishing in 14th place, having secured only two wins from their first seven league matches this season.

Aston Villa, positioned fifth, also missed an opportunity to break into the top four, failing to capitalize on their recent success, which included a midweek victory over Bayern Munich.

The spotlight was back on ten Hag following United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham the previous weekend. The pressure only intensified after a 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League, where United squandered an early two-goal lead, only salvaging a point with a last-minute goal from Harry Maguire.

In response, ten Hag made changes to his lineup, benching centre-backs Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt following their disappointing performance in Portugal, and reintroducing Maguire and Jonny Evans.

Villa’s week had been more positive, with a 1-0 win over Bayern marking the Champions League’s return to Birmingham for the first time in over 40 years.

Both teams showed signs of fatigue in a match that failed to ignite. Ten Hag had made a notable half-time substitution in Porto, replacing Marcus Rashford—who had scored and assisted in the match—citing the need to manage his players’ minutes. Rashford remained a significant threat, forcing Villa’s Emi Martinez into a save early in the game and another strong attempt from distance in the second half. Rashford was also involved in a tense moment, being quickly substituted by ten Hag after a risky foul to avoid a potential red card.

Fernandes nearly broke the deadlock with his free-kick, but it was not to be, and Villa substitute Jhon Duran, despite his record of scoring as a substitute, couldn’t energize Villa’s play.

One late chance for Villa saw Jaden Philogene’s shot deflected wide after De Ligt missed an interception, but the game remained goalless.

United’s eight points from seven games is their worst start since 1989. With co-owner Jim Ratcliffe watching from the stands and an international break coming up, the club faces crucial decisions about ten Hag’s future.