How did you feel at 4pm on Sunday?
For Aston Villa fans, it was probably disappointment. Manchester United fans? Maybe less so.
While it may have been a first clean sheet in 12 Premier League games, from Unai Emery’s side’s point of view the drab goalless draw left an underwhelming taste.
A peculiar hush met the final whistle and groans were audible when Lucas Digne refused a forward pass to Morgan Rogers a quarter of an hour earlier before Rogers himself then had an indecisive cross/shot sail over the bar.
As the home fans filtered out, despite still being enthralled by Wednesday’s famous victory over Bayern Munich, it was clear that they were subdued.
Villa’s manager was the same. Director of football and his closest confidante, Damian Vidagany, was waiting for Emery by the tunnel, with only a gentle smile and handshake shared between them. It was not a result to stir too strong emotions, only the sense of slight regret at Villa only taking a point against Manchester United.
That disappointment some home fans may have felt is both an indictment on United’s prolonged downward spiral and also further proof of how high the bar has been raised at Villa Park since Emery’s arrival.
Since the Spaniard’s first game in charge in November 2022 — incidentally against United — only Manchester City (88), Liverpool (84) and Arsenal (84) have picked up more home points than Villa (75). For broader context, only Tony Barton’s 70 per cent home record betters Emery’s (63.9 per cent) among Villa managers who have taken charge of at least five top-flight home games.
Consistency is a buzzword of Emery’s and a trait that underpins his tenure so far. As the manager knows, consistency leads to calmer waters but increases expectation — so much so that a goalless draw against United appears almost disappointing.
Villa crashed the ‘Big Six’ last season through reliability; winning points on bad days and against the backdrop of injuries and fixture pile-ups, pushing through to beat many of the bigger teams.
In many ways, Emery’s Villa are like that dependable friend at a party. Chaos and those in a drunken state to the left, breakdowns to the right; Villa are there, in the middle, sipping steadily on a soft drink and staying in the same seat all night.
Such unshakeable poise is why Villa have been so successful across two years — and why the frenzy that consumes others who should be in a similar league position is exacerbated.
The win over Bayern Munich took its toll, physically and mentally. Rogers, whose performance characterised Villa’s overall absence of quality in the attacking third, confessed exhaustion and the idea of summoning up comparable efforts always felt remote.
Emery is a man who refuses to look for excuses but even he, speaking in his post-match press conference, acknowledged his players struggled to find the extra — possibly decisive — gear against United.
“Playing in Europe and then playing against Manchester United, there is a tough demand on us,” he said. “How we played against them last year, losing to them at home, we planned to forget the match on Wednesday and play with all our energy today. Today, maybe some players needed to be refreshed, but we don’t have those players because they are injured like (Jacob) Ramsey and (John) McGinn.”
Even mitigating factors do not entirely nullify the frustration. This, in itself, is a compliment to Villa’s coaching staff — it has reached a stage where a draw against Manchester United dampens the mood.
In truth, Villa’s injury problems have been a long-standing issue over the previous 18 months and have continued this season. After Ezri Konsa limped off injured 10 minutes in, Villa’s right side comprised of players not 100 per cent fit, either returning from injury (Matty Cash and Diego Carlos) or managing the pain (Leon Bailey). Arguably, Villa’s first-choice midfield all remain unavailable, in Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana, Ramsey and McGinn.
Even if injuries have depleted the squad, Villa Park expected a home win. Even if United’s bench had £342million ($449m) worth of Erik ten Hag’s signings alone, the home support still expected a win.
The vignette that captured how long and marvellously Villa have been punching upwards came in the 34th minute. Four of the home side’s substitutes warmed up near the corner flag, three of whom — Sil Swinkels, Kadan Young and Lamare Bogarde — were academy graduates, developed for nominal fees. The only signing was 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic, who signed from Red Star Belgrade in a deal worth £8million.
United, meanwhile, had five players stood on the touchline worth a combined total of £250million. Emery has a net spend that is three-quarters of that figure since joining Villa.
Emery has built a side in defiance of the reputation of the bigger boys. That mentality is captured on the pitch — particularly in the second half when United turned increasingly defensive and Villa, although toiling to find an end product, went on the front foot and built from an organised structure. Jaden Philogene had the game’s best chance in added time when his effort was blocked by Diogo Dalot.
The average positioning of both teams in the second half was striking as it was revealing. From a Villa perspective, Emery kept his players in high areas, with six over the halfway line. United, however, only had Rasmus Hojlund in Villa’s half.
“It was a tight match, but we have to accept it and the draw is fair for both,” said Emery. “We are in the top five and in Europe we are challenging very well. It is a positive. I am satisfied but also demanding for the next month.”
Accepting a draw was the overarching mood walking out of Villa Park. By no means close to the sparkling displays the stadium has witnessed in recent times, but sufficient. The mere fact supporters feel this way demonstrates the swiftness of progress under Emery.
(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
