Erik ten Hag sets unwanted Manchester United PL record after their draw with Aston Villa
Under-fire Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reached another unwanted milestone in the club's history after his side's draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, October 6. The Red Devils played out a second successive draw away from home, extending their winless run to five games across competitions.
Manchester United showed a slight improvement from their thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last week, but could only manage a goalless draw at Villa Park. The draw against Aston Villa saw the Red Devils move up to eight points after seven rounds of matches this season, leaving them in 14th place on the table.
Erik ten Hag's side have now recorded the lowest points tally after seven rounds of matches for Manchester United in the Premier League era. Their haul of eight points from seven games is also the club's lowest since the 1989-90 season under Sir Alex Ferguson. They finished in 13th place in that season, their lowest league finish under the legendary manager.
In the 2023-24 season, Manchester United had nine points from their first seven league games, which was the club's worst start to a Premier League season at the time. Ten Hag's side finished in eighth place, their lowest league finish in the Premier League era.
Manchester United have lost to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Brighton & Hove Albion this season. Their draws have come against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, and they have won against Fulham and Southampton.
The Red Devils are set to face a testing league schedule after the international break with games against Brentford, West Ham United, and Chelsea. With Ten Hag's future under consideration, the Dutch manager will hope that his side can pick up the necessary points from those games.
Manchester United held by Aston Villa as struggles persist
Manchester United were far from their best as they played out a goalless draw away from home against Aston Villa. Both sides cancelled each other out as the Red Devils drew a second successive game away from home.
Erik ten Hag's side came closest to scoring in the second half as a free-kick from Bruno Fernandes came back off the woodwork in the 68th minute. Aston Villa were limited to just 0.52xG in the game as they struggled to create openings of their own.
The Red Devils have now kept three successive away clean sheets in the league for the first time since 2021, the only positive from the game for them. They go into the international break placed 14th in the league, with just eight points from their opening seven games.