Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw by Manchester United as our midweek exploits and injury woes took their toll in an abject performance.
Villa lacked our usual energy and rhythm as we struggled to create real openings despite having a good share of possession, and with a lack of quality in the final third to boot, it was a struggle to break the visitors down.
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Still, with our injury list growing longer as Ezri Konsa was forced off early on, it was a decent point in that context as the players were clearly fatigued after our midweek win over Bayern Munich, but it certainly still feels like an opportunity to win missed, such was the way in which the game played out.
It will be an important international break for the squad now as we look to regroup and get key players back, but there will be disappointment in the dressing room this weekend given our inability to find a way past a poor Man Utd side.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Man Utd:
Emiliano Martinez, 8 – Wasn’t overly busy, but produced when called upon as he made a couple of stand-out saves to protect his clean sheet and secure a point for us.
Matty Cash, 7 – Good to have him back as he adds balance to our backline, and it was a decent shift in both phases as he defended well and pushed on to add width when possible. Made a crucial late intervention to end a dangerous looking counter-attack.
Ezri Konsa, N/A – Lasted just 11 minutes before a hamstring injury ended his afternoon early. It’s hoped that it isn’t a serious setback.
Pau Torres, 7 – Classy as ever in possession to give us a probing presence at the back, and defended diligently when required to keep things tight.
Lucas Digne, 7 – Good display from the Frenchman both defensively and in attack. Did well to limit Man Utd’s threat on that flank and got forward to give us an attacking outlet down the left flank.
Ross Barkley, 7 – A tidy shift in a rare start for Barkley. Kept possession ticking over and broke forward at times to give our attacking play some impetus. Just lacked that final bit of quality to help us unlock the game.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – After putting so much into his performance in midweek, Tielemans drew on his energy reserves to put in another tireless effort in this one. Gave us presence and control in midfield, but couldn’t add a decisive contribution on top of that to help us find a breakthrough.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Evident that his fitness issue or niggle is still bothering him, as we’re not seeing Bailey in full flight so far this season. Hopefully, he now has a chance over the break to get right and get his confidence back, both in his fitness and form.
Morgan Rogers, 6.5 – Picked up possession in dangerous areas which in turn allowed him to break at Man Utd’s defence as he looked our most lively attacking option. However, he couldn’t add a decisive end product to his play and he’ll be disappointed as the game ultimately hinged on it.
Jaden Philogene, 6 – Worked hard out of possession and went close right at the end of the game, but it was a limited performance from an attacking perspective as Villa didn’t do enough to cause the visitors problems or build enough sustained pressure, particularly in wide areas.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Worked hard as he always does off the ball to try and stretch the pitch and bring others into play, but a lack of service and quality in the final third ensured it was a quiet day for him.
Substitutes:
Diego Carlos, 7 – Wrapped up an excellent week with another solid display having come off the bench early on. Did well to limit Man Utd’s attack threat through the middle and gave us control of possession in deeper areas.
Jhon Duran, 6 – Added energy and some fresh impetus to our play after coming on, but as we continued to struggle to create anything, he couldn’t repeat his usual heroics.
Ian Maatsen, N/A
