Aston Villa 0-0 Man Utd player ratings: Evans shines in goalless stalemate | OneFootball

Both teams came into the game in different forms. This was Villa’s first goalless draw at home in England’s top division since May 2021 (0-0 against Everton under Dean Smith), and it was their 62nd such home game since then.

The total expected goals between Villa and United in this game was just 1.05 – the lowest in a Premier League match so far this season. The last game in the competition to see a lower combined total was Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City in October 2023 (0.87).

As for the Red Devils, they head into the October international break having won just eight points from their opening seven Premier League games. This is their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1989-90 (7), when they finished 13th in the top-flight.

Aston Villa player ratings

Beaten all ends up by a Bruno Fernandes free-kick in the second half, but the World Cup winner earned this clean sheet by making four saves. Martinez prevented 1.03 goals, based on Opta’s ‘goals prevented’ metric.

Guilty of producing some lethargic set-piece deliveries, Digne nonetheless won four tackles and made two vital interceptions, while also winning possession on eight occasions in the defensive third.

This was more about Torres’ ball control, as he completed the most passes (51), with nine in the final third, and also won possession twice in the middle third.

Replaced the injured Ezri Konsa after 12 minutes. Made a game-high eight clearances and had a 93% retention rate.

Started nervously by losing possession to Rashford, leading to Man Utd’s first attempt on goal. Cash recovered with one interception and won possession four times in the defensive third.

As the game progressed, he became more influential and finished the match with eight successful entries into the final third and winning three tackles. However, he had the lowest passing accuracy among all the Villa starters, completing only 38 out of 72 attempted passes to his teammates.

Picked up a late booking in a strong performance, winning possession three times in the middle third, producing six final third entries, and making a team-high two successful passes into the penalty area.

In a rare start for the forward, Philogene had a lively outing. He attempted two shots on goal, with one spectacularly drifting past Onana’s goal. His xG rating was 0.12, the highest of any Villa player. Philogene touched the ball twice in the opposition box but successfully completed 50% of his take-on attempts.

Completed two out of three attempted take-ons, but failed to create any big chances (0.02 xA). Rogers only had four touches in the opposition box.

Played on the periphery before exiting just after the hour mark, Bailey completed two of his attempted take-ons and created one chance with six passes into the final third.

No Villa player was busier in the opposition box than Watkins, with six touches, but the England international could only manage two shots, neither of which troubled Onana.

Manchester United player ratings

A third consecutive clean sheet on the road, but Onana earned this latest shutout by making only one save (0.49 goals prevented), which summed up Villa’s lack of prolificness in front of goal.

Produced a crucial late block when he turned his back to Philogene’s shot. Dalot also made three clearances and completed two successful tackles.

The veteran centre-back delivered a standout performance, making impressive runs forward in addition to his defensive duties. Evans was dominant, completing four successful tackles, winning five aerial duels, and making three ball recoveries. His inclusion in the team was unexpected for some, but his exceptional effort may earn him another start after the international break.

Won both of his contested aerial duels, collected a yellow card, and was taken off at half-time through injury. His replacement, Matthijs de Ligt (68%), made three clearances and was lucky that another attempt to clear the ball from defence didn’t result in a late Villa goal.

He made two interceptions, one of which was inside the penalty box, and also managed to make three clearances despite facing the threat of Jaden Philogene and Lucas Digne overlapping. However, he was substituted at half-time for Victor Lindelöf (63%) as part of a tactical change.

Created a team-high two chances and nine final third entries while no United player completed more passes (41) with a 91% passing accuracy, this was another calm but unthreatening outing from the Danish playmaker.

Won two tackles, completed two take-ons, and produced a joint team-high six passes into the final third. However, Mainoo received a yellow card and could not complete the full 90 minutes due to the associated risk.

Very fortunate not to have received two yellow cards. Rashford attempted two shots on goal, both on target, and completed one take-on in another inconsistent performance from Man Utd’s homegrown forward.

United’s captain managed to last 90 minutes, making three interceptions and completing six passes into the final third with seven final-third entries. However, he got no shots on target despite coming close with a free-kick attempt. Fernandes did not create a single big chance, leaving him with an xA score of 0.02.

Garancho has struggled in this Premier League season and did not perform well this afternoon. His poor performance was evident when he made a misplaced pass as United countered deep into second-half stoppage time. What’s even more disappointing is that no opposition player touched the ball more times in Villa’s penalty box (5), and he ended up with a team-high three shots on goal, with only one on target and completing one of his four take-on attempts.

He barely had any impact during his 64 minutes on the field, failing to produce a single attempt on goal or create big chances. Højlund did manage to win possession in the attacking third once, though, but won no aerial duels.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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