United and Chelsea Draw with Aston Villa and Nottingham
Manchester United achieved a good result compared to its recent form by returning from Aston Villa’s ground with a goalless draw on Sunday in the seventh round of the Premier League.
According to the French Press Agency, United entered the match against last season’s fourth-placed team, which had only lost one match since the start of the league, amid a backdrop of four consecutive winless matches domestically and internationally.
However, they avoided further pressure on their Dutch coach Erik Ten Hag by coming away with a draw from Villa Park, especially since their hosts had shone in the Premier League and the Champions League, having recently achieved a notable 1-0 victory over German giants Bayern Munich on Wednesday, adding to their significant away win in the opening round against Swiss side Young Boys (3-0).
Unlike Aston Villa, United is struggling internationally, alongside its decline domestically; after drawing its first Europa League match at home against Twente 1-1, it came close to losing on Thursday away to Porto in the second round of the new group stage, only to be saved by defender Harry Maguire, who equalized with a late goal in the dying moments (3-3).
With this second draw of the season, alongside two victories and three defeats, United raised its points tally to 8, sitting in 14th place, the lowest points it has had at this stage since the 1989-1990 season when it collected 7 points on its way to finishing 13th, the lowest position under legendary Scottish manager Alex Ferguson, according to Opta statistics.
On the other hand, Villa’s tally stands at 14 points, placing them fifth, just behind Chelsea in fourth place, who had their five-match winning streak in both domestic and international competitions come to an end with a 1-1 draw against visiting Nottingham Forest.
