Man United make their worst EVER start to a Premier League season after drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa
Manchester United have made their worst start to the season in 35 years after Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa left them with just eight points from seven games.
United ends the weekend in 14th place in the Premier League with a goal difference of minus three.
This slow start to the 2024/25 season comes after United recorded their lowest result in Premier League history last season, as Erik ten Hag’s side finished in eighth place.
The last time United took eight points or fewer from their first seven league games was in the 1989-90 season.
United had just seven points after seven games in September 1989, finishing thirteenth in the old First Division in what was Sir Alex Ferguson’s fourth season at Old Trafford.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured after Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Aston Villa
United have taken just eight points from their first seven Premier League games this season
Despite their poor away performance, Ferguson’s United won the FA Cup at the end of the 1989–90 season.
Ferguson went on to win thirteen Premier League titles with United following the rebranding of the First Division in 1992.
The Scot led United to a total of 38 trophies during his 26-year reign at Old Trafford, which ended in 2013.
Current United boss Ten Hag has been in charge since the summer of 2022.
In addition to leading United to third place in the Premier League in the 2022/2023 season and to eighth place last season, Ten Hag has won two trophies to date.
Ten Hag’s team won the EFL Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup earlier this year in May.
Ten Hag has now suffered United’s worst start to the season since the 1989/90 season
Alex Ferguson pictured (centre) alongside Mike Phelan (left) and Neil Webb (right) in 1989 – the year United started their First Division season with just seven points in seven games
Ten Hag felt encouraged by what he saw on Sunday during the draw against Villa.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the match, he said: ‘I think United’s performance was very good. We controlled the game defensively and in possession of the ball. It was in the balance sheet. We created chances, but not many. Villa didn’t create too many chances either. It was balanced. We hit the crossbar, they had a shot blocked.
‘We had that resilience all season. We conceded three against Tottenham [in a 3-0 defeat last weekend] because there were still 10 of us and we still went for the win. But otherwise this is our fourth clean sheet. This indicates that we are on the right track. Now we also improve counter-attack defense and control of ball possession. But we also need to improve in the final third.”
