Manchester United dreadful again , two wins in seven matches: Eric Ten Hag in trouble.

Manchester United came into the match with a recent form of disappointing results, and Eric Ten Hag knew he needed to win to silence the critics. From the start of the game, there were recent talking points for fans and pundits, as Ten Hag decided to use Johnny Evans and Harry Maguire in defense—a decision that would work in his favor during the course of the match.

Eric Ten Hag lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Andre Onana in goal and Rasmus Højlund leading the line. His counterpart, Unai Emery, on the contrary, has been receiving praise from the media and the Villa faithful; he came into this game on the back of a resounding victory against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. He opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation as well.

Despite both sides having a joint total of 21 shots on goal, the expected goals total between them was just 1.05—the lowest in a Premier League match so far this season. Aston Villa controlled play, having 55% of the ball and completing 412 passes compared to Manchester United’s 356. The match ended in a goalless draw.

The outcome meant Manchester United has only eight points from their opening seven Premier League games—its fewest at this stage of a league season since 1989-90 (7), when they finished 13th in the top flight. Manchester United is now winless in five matches across all competitions and goalless in the last three matches in the Premier League—a run of 308 minutes without a goal.

When Eric Ten Hag was asked about his side’s performance after the game, he said, “I think it’s the fourth clean sheet this season. You see we had a very good organization and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team—determined and resilient.