Manchester United hit pause on the enveloping negativity and held off the doom and gloom for another day.
A 0-0 draw with Aston Villa did not move Erik ten Hag closer to the sack. Nor did it save his job either.
Instead the draw, and the tie with Porto in midweek, has simply bought the manager more time, with it clear his players are still fighting for him.
One of these was named in the BBC team of the week after his battling display, a big contrast to seven days earlier.
Diogo Dalot praised
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot was the sole Red Devils player selected in the BBC team of the week.
Veteran centre-back Jonny Evans was a little unlucky to miss out – he was the clear winner of the Manchester United fan man of the match vote.
Former Premier League forward Troy Deeney made the selection, commenting: “He hasn’t been great this season but has been very consistent for Manchester United over the last couple of years. Whether he’s at left-back or right-back, he plays really well.
“He helped his team to get a good point at high-flying Aston Villa and a result Manchester United really needed.”
Dalot kept it simple
Diogo Dalot struggled for Manchester United against Tottenham. Erik ten Hag has been tinkering with his role, asking him to play in midfield at times.
Teams have been exposing this, and Dalot has been all over the place positionally at times.
Against Aston Villa, Erik ten Hag made a smart U-turn, asking Dalot to keep his role simple, scrapping the inverted full-back tactic.
As a more traditional full-back, Dalot was much better, defending in sync with his teammates, even popping up with a vital block late in the game.
This was Dalot’s 43rd game for club and country in 2024 alone.
Going to in-form Villa was a tough ask. United put in a respectable performance and Dalot was a key part of that.
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