Manchester United drew 0-0 and Aston Villa allowed manager Erik ten Hag to go into the international break on the back of an improved performance from his reorganized team.

The Dutchman, who was under pressure going into the match, dropped Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez for Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire after the pair featured in the 3-3 Europa League draw against Porto earlier this week.

However, Maguire, who scored the late equalizer in that game, went off injured at half-time and was replaced by De Ligt as his team held out in a thrilling match.

The result means United are fourteenth in the Premier League, with Villa fifth.

Here, our writers Carl Anka and Mark Critchley break down the game’s biggest moments.

What was United’s game plan?

It is unusual for a Premier League manager to face questions about the style of football he is trying to play, having been in place for more than two seasons.

In the first half at Villa Park, Erik ten Hag tried to provide some answers. The United manager rolled the dice and opted for a bold starting lineup with Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire at centre-back. Sharp-eyed investigators eventually discovered that the line-up bore many similarities to the team that defeated Villa 3-2 on Boxing Day last year, but once United kicked off it became clear that Ten Hag had turned things around.

Diogo Dalot played high and wide as a left back for much of the first half. Instead of moving into central midfield to help build play as he had done in recent weeks. This had an encouraging effect on Marcus Rashford ahead of him, with the pair attempting to break Villa’s high defensive line.

(Zohaib Alam – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)

United also managed to enjoy some periods of stable possession in the first half, circulating the ball in deeper areas while looking for an optimal angle to launch a direct attack on a quick three.

But poor weighting of Bruno Fernandes’ pass, combined with a dubious raid from Rasmus Hojlund, meant things didn’t quite click.

Karel Anka

Evans the enforcer

Ten Hag claimed his selection of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans was purely down to ‘rotation’, but he was not usually one to cut and change at the heart of his defense – especially for a game like this.

It is more likely that Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were dropped after their difficult evening in Dragao and that Ten Hag was simply protecting his first choice centre-back with his pre-match comments.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

But then Maguire and Evans were arguably better suited to the conservative approach United were taking anyway: they were in a low block, tasked with the basics of defending on the edge of their own penalty area. Both performed well, especially Evans – named man of the match – who made a couple of tackles in the first half.

And interestingly, it was De Ligt who came on when Maguire left injured. As you would expect, with one right-sided centre-back replacing the other. But the less spotted Victor Lindelof was also preferred to replace Noussair Mazraoui at right-back, rather than Dalot switching sides and Martinez being introduced at left-back.

That was interesting, given how Ten Hag attributed much of last season’s difficulties to Martinez’s long spells. Normally this is an integral part of the way United want to play. This was a rare example of Ten Hag overlooking perhaps his most trusted lieutenant in a time of need, and perhaps the clearest sign yet that the United manager knows he must think differently to save his job .

Mark Critchley

Rash Rashford

United’s players and staff appeared frustrated by referee Rob Jones’s actions towards the end of the first half, in which they were shown three yellow cards, while Villa, in their view, got away with similar fouls.

But things evened out over a season, as they say – and sometimes over the course of a single match – and Rashford could consider himself a little lucky in the second half not to be sent off.

In the 59th minute he chased Matty Cash near the touchline before fouling to stop a counter-attack. It was a soft booking, but three minutes later he cynically tripped over Leon Bailey on the edge of United’s penalty area.

Villa players and fans were furious that he was not given a second booking. It took intervention from Bruno Fernandes talking to the referee, and Ten Hag taking Rashford away from the fourth official, to keep him on the pitch.

Not that he would stay long. Ten Hag felt he had little choice but to replace Rashford shortly afterwards. In the context of Fernandes’ back-to-back red cards over the past week, this wasn’t the smartest play and meant United were without a player who had been their most dangerous counter-attacker for the previous half hour.

Mark Critchley

What does this result mean?

United’s 3-3 draw against Porto saw them described as “great entertainment for the neutrals”. Sunday’s slightly improved performance probably bored everyone who watched it.

Ten Hag’s team failed to score in three of the last four Premier League matches before Villa. Apart from a Marcus Rashford effort being saved in the first half and a Bruno Fernandes free-kick falling off the woodwork in the second half, they rarely threatened.

One of the problems with the team’s ‘suck ’em in and hit ’em way behind’ approach was in their range of forwards. Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund all struggled to make the ball stick in the final third – and without a hook to sustain the attack, things became shapeless.

The introduction of Joshua Zirkzee and Antony in the 64th minute changed little. However, United did reduce the number of serious mistakes that led to the recent defeats, but they struggled to show enough effort/skill/conviction (delete to your liking) to win the match convincingly. This season they have scored just five league goals. It’s not nearly good enough for one side of their ambition.

A point stops some of the bleeding, but they remain in the bottom half of the table, with one of their lowest ever points totals after seven games. Senior club officials from INEOS were present at the match and a meeting between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Joel Glazer will take place on Tuesday.

If United is to be successful in 2024-2025, all relevant parties will need to find better solutions to a host of long-standing problems.

Karel Anka

What did Ten Hag say?

As to whether he spoke to the club hierarchy, the Dutchman told Sky Sports. “We always talk. We speak to each other every week. We’re all on board together, on one page. We know what we are working towards. It is a long-term project and we must continue to improve the process.”

Speaking about the match, he added: “I think this is the fourth clean sheet this season. You can see that we had very good organization and solidarity. There was good character and a good atmosphere as a team. Determined, resilient.”

What next for Aston Villa?

Saturday October 19: Fulham (A), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET

What next for Manchester United?

Saturday October 19: Brentford (H), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET

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(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)