Aston Villa and Manchester United play out goalless draw: Stats
Aston Villa and Manchester United played out a 0-0 draw in matchweek 7 of the Premier League 2024-25 season on Sunday at Villa Park. The match didn't have the finesse with both sides unable to create chances. Bruno Fernandes came close for the visitors with his free-kick smashing the bar. The game also saw Marcus Rashford avoid being sent off. Here's more.
A tame effort from both sides in a goalless half
The first half saw neither side not really creating any clear goal scoring opportunities. Morgan Rogers came close for the hosts as his effort hit the side netting. Earlier, Rashford forced Emiliano Martinez make a save from his shot. Man United were compact but didn't cause Villa many problems. Meanwhile, Villa failed to threaten the visiting defense throughout the half.
Match stats from the first half
Villa had four attempts with no shots on target. Meanwhile, United had two attempts with both shots on target. Both sides had 7 touches each in the opposition half. Both sides also shared the spoils in terms of possession (50%).
Tielemans and Fernandes come close for Villa and United respectively
Villa saw Youri Tielemans curl in an effort toward goal which forced Andre Onana to make a save after a corner. Rashford was then lucky to not be sent off. He received a yellow card before committing another foul. However, the referee didn't hand him a second yellow. He was subbed off shortly thereafter. Fernandes was then denied by the bar with his free-kick.
Dalot saves United the blushes
Joshua Zirkzee was abysmal since coming on and failed to provide an impetus. For Villa, they tried to cause issues and looked to create spark in the United half. In the 93rd minute, Jaden Philogene's goal-bound shot saw Diogo Dalot make a superb block.
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Man United clock just 12 touches in the opposition box
Aston Villa had 11 attempts with one shot on target. Erik ten Hag's side had four shots on target from 10 attempts. The hosts enjoyed 55% ball possession and owned an 82% pass accuracy from 412 passes. Both sides failed to create any big chances. Villa had 0.42 expected goals to Man United's 0.44. Man United had just 12 touches in the opposition box.
Man United are 14th in the standings
With this draw, United are 14th in the standings. After 7 matches, the Red Devils have 8 points with two wins, two draws and three defeats. On the other hand, Unai Emery's Villa are placed fourth with 14 points collected (W4 D2 L1).
United's lowest tally in their opening seven matches since 1989-90
As per Opta, with eight points , this is Man United's lowest tally in their opening seven matches of a league season since 1989-90 (7), when they went on to finish 13th under Sir Alex Ferguson. Villa have won just one of their last 26 matches against Man United in the Premier League (D9 L16). This was Man United's fourth clean sheet this season.
