None other than veteran Jonny Evans. The Red Devils fans chanted his name three times in the first half. The 36-year-old centre-back looked rejuvenated by Erik ten Hag’s trust. He was excellent in the tackle , and also did well with the ball at his feet.
In the first 45 minutes, Aston Villa did not play as well as they have done since the beginning of the season. However, the home team still created a balanced game compared to the visitors from Manchester.
The Red Devils had 50% possession, launched 4 shots, with an xG of only 0.15, and did not force Emiliano Martínez to show his talent in saving. Meanwhile, Villa had an xG of 0.17 from 2 shots, forcing Andre Onana to make 2 saves.
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In the second half, Man United and Villa played more openly. Many dangerous situations were created by both home and away teams, but there were still no goals, due to the excellence of the goalkeeper and the lack of luck of the players of both teams.
The Red Devils dominated the final 45 minutes with 59% possession, firing 7 shots, 1 less than the home team’s 8.
The xG created by Villa and Man United was not high (0.26 and 0.36 respectively). A draw was completely reasonable with what they showed.