Evanilson scored a 96th-minute equaliser as Bournemouth rescued a thrilling 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The hosts bossed proceedings for much of the game, but Mark Travers’ goalkeeping heroics for Bournemouth kept the fixture goalless for 76 minutes.

Ross Barkley came off the bench to find the breakthrough for Unai Emery's side, who posted a 2-0 win against Bologna in midweek to go top of the 32-team Champions League table.

But there was to be a twist deep in stoppage time as Bournemouth produced some late drama. 

Substitute Evanilson headed in from Marcus Tavernier's free-kick to snatch a point for the Cherries and frustrate Villa, who had a goal overturned by VAR in the first half.

Third-placed Villa are now five points behind leaders Manchester City, while Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth sit 10th, having collected 12 points from nine matches.

John McGinn believes Unai Emery has already cemented his status as one of Aston Villa's "greatest managers", following their perfect start in the Champions League.

Appearing in Europe's premier club competition for the first time in over 40 years, Villa have won each of their opening three matches, while they are yet to concede a goal.

Their unblemished start continued on Tuesday, with goals from McGinn and Jhon Duran sealing a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Villa Park and moving them top of the league table.

Though Villa are still seeking their first silverware under Emery during his two-year spell, McGinn thinks the Spaniard's place in the club's history is already secured.

"No matter what happens until now and whenever he leaves - we hope it's never - he will certainly go down as one of our club's greatest managers," the skipper said.

"You feed off your leader. He is our leader and we feed off that. No-one can question what he puts in, the effort - and everything which comes his way and our way is on the back of hard work.

"He is just so driven. I have never met anyone like him. He just focuses his full energy all the time. 

"He does not let us take our foot off the gas, so we can use all our energy and enthusiasm, and the excitement we have. His determination and intensity is unmatched."

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery insisted that there is no issue between him and Jhon Duran after the striker reacted angrily to being substituted against Bologna on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old was taken off almost immediately after scoring the second goal in their Champions League victory and was visibly angry, punching the back of a dugout seat.

Duran's 64th minute strike saw him become the first Aston Villa player since Gary Shaw in 1982-83 to score in successive games for the club in the competition. 

The Colombian has notched four goals from his eight Premier League appearances this season, despite not starting in the top-flight so far under Emery, though the Spaniard has been impressed with his displays.

"I have no problem with his reaction. Every message we send in the dressing room is about respect and having our values," Emery told The Independent.

“Some young players can react a little bit but it is under my control... Always it is more difficult to start when the opponents are fresh."

“He played very well and he scored a good goal. It was fantastic the way he accelerated," he said.

“We will play both strikers sometimes and when they play individually as well as today – with Ollie Watkins – it is best for the team."

That result maintained Villa's 100% start in Europe, while they are also currently fourth in the Premier League and four points off top.

But the Villa manager did not want to get carried away despite what he and his team have achieved thus far.

“We are going to focus on each match and how we are in the moment,” he added.

“There are other contenders, bigger favourites than us but we are improving and we will see how we continue.”

Bournemouth, meanwhile, arrived in the Midlands on the back of their most impressive win of the season to date.

Their 2-0 victory over Arsenal was their third of the campaign, and came at a time when they had lost three in their last four games in the Premier League.

Bournemouth's opening goal in that victory came from an ingenious set-piece routine, with Ryan Christie firing in a wonderful finish.

It is something that Villa will have to be wary of ahead of this Saturday's game, with manager Andoni Iraola confirming they had worked on it in the week.

"The advantage they have at set plays is they are taller than us so we had to find another way to make a difference," he told BBC Sport.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa - Youri Tielemans

Tielemans has created 17 chances for Aston Villa so far this term, which is more than any of his team-mates.

He is currently creating an average of 2.1 chances per 90 minutes - his best ratio in the Premier League - while also supplying three assists.

Bournemouth - Antoine Semenyo

Semenyo has been Bournemouth's leading attacking threat this season, with three goals and one assist in the Premier League.

The Ghana international has had a league-high 37 shots, which is at least two more than any other player.

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Aston Villa have carried on their impressive form from last season into this. They have picked up 17 points in their eight Premier League games this season, which is just the third time they’ve had that many points at this stage. 

And having lost their first two Premier League home games against Bournemouth in 2016 and 2019, the Villans have won the last two by an aggregate score of 6-1.

But Emery's men have also showcased their powers of recovery this term. Only Manchester City (13) have won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this season than Villa (10), who have won three games despite conceding first so far this campaign.

Bournemouth, however, have won 50% of their eight Premier League games against Aston Villa (W4 D1 L3) – of those they’ve faced as many times, against no side do they have a higher win rate in the competition.

But the Cherries have struggled away from the Vitality Stadium. They have lost six of their last nine away Premier League matches (W2 D1), losing their last two without scoring since their late 3-2 comeback victory against Everton at the end of August.

No team has scored more goals from the 70th minute onwards of games in the Premier League this season than Bournemouth (six). The average minute of their goals has been the 63rd minute, the latest average by a team in a single Premier League campaign.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Aston Villa - 48.8%

Draw - 23.9%

Bournemouth - 27.3%

Aston Villa extended their 100% record in the Champions League this season by beating Bologna 2-0 at home on Tuesday.

The result leaves Villa top of the 36-team league table, with three victories, six goals scored and zero conceded.

Unai Emery's side claimed the victory thanks to second-half goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran, who was starting just his second match of the season in all competitions.

Villa controlled the match for large periods and had multiple chances to open the scoring before McGinn's free-kick went all the way through a sea of bodies and into the top corner. The Scot's goal was checked by VAR for a possible handball but later confirmed. 

Duran then doubled their lead in the 64th minute - Morgan Rogers swung a cross into the box, which the Colombian flicked into the goal after holding off a defender.

Next up for Villa in the Champions League is a trip to Club Brugge, while Bologna - who are 28th with one point - host Monaco.

Data debrief: Villa make history

Villa's victory on Tuesday helped them become only the third team to ever win their first three Champions League matches without conceding.

Unai Emery, meanwhile, became only the fifth Spanish manager to have won 25 matches in the competition, alongside Pep Guardiola, Vicente Del Bosque, Rafa Benitez and Luis Enrique.

For Bologna, it is one victory in 11 matches in all competitions so far this season.

Unai Emery insists Aston Villa must continue striving to "break barriers" as the club look to take a big step towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages. 

Emery's side welcome Bologna to Villa Park on Tuesday, aiming to maintain their perfect record in the competition so far. 

They also come into the encounter unbeaten in nine games in all competitions after defeating Fulham 3-1 in the Premier League, a result that propelled them into the top four. 

Emery is looking to pick up his 25th Champions League win, and would become the fifth Spanish manager to reach that total after Pep Guardiola, Rafael Benítez, Vicente del Bosque and Luis Enrique.

But aside from personal accolades, Emery has his eyes set on helping the Villans become regular contenders for silverware during his time at the helm. 

"I don't want to waste my time here, that is my message," said Emery. "We want to achieve the objectives and one of them is to play in the Champions League.

"It is not about playing there only because of some circumstances - I want us to stay there for a long time.

"You have to be resilient. We want to be strong in the idea in our mind and create a strong mentality to always break barriers."

Should Villa beat the Serie A side, they will also equal their longest streak of victories in the European Cup or Champions League, last earning three consecutive wins between September and October 1981. 

Emery will celebrate his second anniversary as Villa manager on Thursday but is only looking at how he can help the club continue to grow after their meteoric rise under his stewardship in the last 24 months.

"The most important thing is for us how we are increasing our demands and with those getting the objectives we are facing each year," he outlined.

"Two years ago we avoided a risk of relegation and even had time to get a position in the Conference League, which was amazing in the first seven months we had here.

"Last year we continued our process, and we increased a lot our demands, getting the Champions League.

"The challenge is to get better every day, and now how can we keep the same level we have now for a long time? That’s the most difficult thing.

"When you achieve an objective at a high level, how can you be demanding and successful in keeping it? That’s the idea I have now. The club is in the same way.

"The players are with the same message I am giving you here. The words I use repeatedly since I arrived here to now is I don’t want to waste my time here.

"That’s the message for everyone. I don’t want you to waste your time here. We are professionals, and we can get our best objectives individually and collectively.

"We want to keep the level we have now, which is the Champions League, and add something more like being a contender for a trophy."

Tuesday's fixture against Bologna will be the first time the two sides faced each other in any competition, though Villa have struggled against sides from Italy. 

They have lost four of their six major European games against Italian sides, with the two wins both coming at home against Inter in 1990 and 1994, in the UEFA Cup.

Morgan Rogers saluted Aston Villa's quick response to falling behind early on after his side came back to beat Fulham 3-1.

Rogers scored the equaliser after nine minutes to get the visitors back on level terms after Raul Jimenez had put Fulham ahead early at Craven Cottage.

Ollie Watkins's header and Issa Diop's own goal in the second half secured the win that moved Unai Emery's side into fourth on 17 points, only behind Arsenal and Manchester City on goal difference.

Rogers lauded how important the quick response was to taking all three points in London.

"It was massive to respond how we did so quickly. It helped settle the nerves and we were generally playing well and to get it so quick did help," he told PLP.

"They scored in the first five minutes, but we knuckled down after that and we dominated pretty much most of the game. We should have scored a few more, but in the second half we put our foot on the gas, and we deserved the win.

"After the international break you start fresh with a clean slate and to get the win is massive. We have an important week and it's just the start of it."

While level at 1-1, Emiliano Martinez saved Andreas Pereira's penalty to keep Villa in the game after Matty Cash had handled the ball in the box.

"That's why [Martinez] is the best. That's what he does. If it goes 2-1 anything can happen in the game," praised Rogers.

Fulham's Kenny Tete emphasised the defeat rested on more than the penalty miss on what proved to be a wasteful day for the hosts.

"It happened and you have to push for more - it is what it is. [At] half-time, we changed the game-plan, it was a bit better. Then it goes 2-1 and you know it is going to be difficult," he reflected.

"We could have had a bit more luck, but I don't want to point to that. It wasn't our day and we could have done better. We can look in the mirror and we have to do better and train harder. Frustrated."

Fulham had the better expected goals (xG) total at full-time with 1.78, compared to Villa’s 1.68, though this was impacted by their penalty.

The hosts also had to play 26 minutes of the match with 10 players after Joachim Andersen received his marching orders, while Villa also saw Jaden Philogene dismissed in the 93rd minute.

"Obviously a disappointed feeling. I think we started well. Then we were unlucky with the own goal. But, we get a penalty and we didn't score it. It was going to be a difficult afternoon," added Tete.

Aston Villa climbed back into the Premier League's top four after coming from behind to beat Fulham 3-1 in an entertaining clash at Craven Cottage that saw both teams finish with 10 men.

There was a frantic start to the match on Saturday, with Villa attacker Morgan Rogers cancelling out Raul Jimenez's earlier effort inside the opening nine minutes.

Fulham threatened regularly in the first half, but were ultimately made to pay for their profligacy.

Jimenez headed a glorious opportunity wide from four yards out, before Andreas Pereira had a penalty saved by Emiliano Martinez after Matty Cash was penalised for handball following a VAR review.

Villa capitalised when Ollie Watkins put them in front for the first time just before the hour mark, heading home at the near post from Youri Tielemans' corner.

Shortly after Joachim Andersen's straight red card for fouling Watkins, Issa Diop's own goal put the result beyond doubt, though Unai Emery's side also finished a man down after substitute Jaden Philogene was sent off for two bookable offences.

Data Debrief: Villa dish out more capital punishment

After overturning an early deficit, Villa went on to record their ninth victory from their last 13 Premier League games in London.

The visitors' second and third goals both came from crosses, taking their tally of such goals for the season to seven, with no Premier League side registering more.

Continuing his fine form, Watkins scored against Fulham for the sixth time, matching his best tally against a single opponent (Brighton, also six).

Marco Silva is hoping Fulham’s 3-2 defeat to champions Manchester City will give his players “courage” against Aston Villa upon their return to Premier League action.

The Cottagers went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s side before the international break but were made to rue missed opportunities during the contest, with Adama Traore the most notable for squandering some gilt-edged chances at the Etihad.

However, Silva is confident his team can take encouragement from their display as they aim to maintain their unbeaten record at Craven Cottage this season.

“To see City finish with three central defenders with five at the back shows that we were creating problems for them, not just in transition,” Silva said.

“It gives us courage. We know what we are capable of doing, and it gives us the confidence to keep going in the direction that we want to go in, and to stick with our philosophy as a team.

“Looking at the chances that we did create throughout the game and comparing with City, we deserved more. But that’s football.”

Unai Emery, meanwhile, insisted his Aston Villa side will be raring to go when they return to domestic action after their stalemate with Manchester United last time out.

It was the Villans’ first goalless draw at Villa Park in the Premier League since May 2021, while the expected goals (xG) total between the two sides was just 1.05 – the lowest in a top-flight match so far this season.

With the international break allowing Villa to recuperate after a busy September schedule that saw them start their Champions League campaign with two wins, returning players will be a welcome addition, the Spaniard believes.

“It’s a nice moment to rest. This week we are going to work and recover some players. We are going to add [Boubacar] Kamara and [Tyrone] Mings, which is very good news. Hopefully some injured players can come back for the next match against Fulham,” Emery said.

“We will need players. Today we were more or less with some players out and we needed fresh players with good legs in the second half to help get our objective in this match.

“The players were really focusing on this match and gave their best. I’m happy because we are feeling strong here with our supporters and keeping a good position in the league and Champions League targeting our objectives. We are going to try to get there.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham – Andreas Pereira

No player has played more passes (including crosses) into the opposition box than Fulham’s Pereira in the Premier League this season (64), with the Brazilian also creating the most chances from set plays (16).

Pereira has also created 23 chances overall this term (level with Cole Palmer and Dwight McNeil), a total only bettered by Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (27) in the Premier League so far.

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

After netting in midweek while on international duty with Colombia, Duran will be hoping to continue his remarkable scoring streak at Craven Cottage.

Duran has four goals in just 184 minutes of action in the Premier League this season, averaging a goal every 46 minutes so far. This is the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to feature for at least 90 minutes this term.

MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN

Fulham are unbeaten in their three Premier League home games so far this season (W2 D1). They last had a longer run without defeat at Craven Cottage from the start of a campaign in 2011-12 (four).

The Cottagers lost this exact fixture 2-1 in February last season, though they have never lost consecutive home league games against Aston Villa before.

However, they face an uphill task against Emery’s men, who are unbeaten in their last five league games (W3 D2), though their 0-0 draw with United last time out was their first clean sheet in 12 Premier League matches.

Visits to London have proven fruitful for the Villans in recent years. They have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games in the capital (W8 D3). Their eight wins in this time (all under Emery) are as many as they’d managed in their previous 48 top-flight games in London.

Villa have also won five of their last six Premier League games against Fulham (L1), including the last three in a row. It’s more wins than they’d managed in their previous 19 against the Cottagers in the top-flight (W4 D10 L5), while they’ve never won four in a row against them in their league history.

No team has scored more goals from crosses than Aston Villa in the Premier League this season (five). No player has scored more such goals than Ollie Watkins (two), while Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans have two such assists each – only Saka (four) has more.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Fulham – 40.5%

Draw – 25.5%

Aston Villa – 34%

Aston Villa have tied down Jhon Duran to a new contract after the Colombian's fantastic start to the campaign.

Duran has netted four times in the Premier League this term, with all of those goals coming from the bench.

Last week, he grabbed his first Champions League goal, converting with an audacious lob over Manuel Neuer to hand Villa a memorable 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

No player to have scored at least three goals in the Premier League this season has a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Duran (46), who has also overperformed his 2.06 expected goals (xG).

Duran was on the verge of leaving Villa over the summer, with both Chelsea and West Ham interested, but he ultimately stayed put.

The club have now moved to secure the 20-year-old's future, and Duran has signed a deal to keep him at Villa Park until 2030.

Duran was unable to wield his usual influence from the bench as Villa drew 0-0 with Manchester United on Sunday, seeing Unai Emery's team head into the international break in fifth place.

Unai Emery believes Aston Villa "missed some energy" during their goalless draw with Manchester United on Sunday.

The spoils were shared following an underwhelming 90 minutes at Villa Park, where the hosts recorded their second stalemate in as many Premier League games after last weekend's 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town.

Villa were aiming to build on their memorable Champions League victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday but only registered a single shot on target courtesy of Youri Tielemans' second-half attempt.

And Emery believes his side's midweek exploits in Europe took their toll on Sunday.

"It is not the best result, but it's not the worst," the Villa boss said. "I think a draw is fair.

"We played the second half much better than the first and, at the end, we were close to winning the match [when Diogo Dalot blocked Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time shot]. We tried to score, but couldn't. 

"We missed some energy. Maybe it's because we have some players injured, some other players are also still improving."

It was the first 0-0 draw Villa have played out under Emery at Villa Park since he took over in November 2022. Although they could not achieve the three points, they remain fifth in the Premier League table with 14 points after their opening seven games.

After opening their Champions League campaign with successive wins, and a Carabao Cup last-16 clash with Crystal Palace coming up later this month, Emery is pleased with the shape his side are in.

"We are in the process of building a team," he added. "We are managing things better. I am happy. We could be higher in the table, but we are more or less in the top six. I am happy with what we are doing.

"We are happy in the Champions League and happy, of course, in the Carabao Cup. We're going to play seven matches in the next month. We have to stay competitive like we are now and be demanding."

Erik ten Hag insisted he and Manchester United's hierarchy are "all on board together" following the Red Devils' goalless draw with Aston Villa.

United played out their fourth stalemate in five games across all competitions - losing the other against Tottenham last weekend - as the spoils were shared at Villa Park.

The Red Devils' tally of eight points, which keeps them 14th in the table, is their lowest after the first seven matches of a Premier League season, with their struggles increasing the pressure on Ten Hag.

However, as speculation surrounding his future continues to grow, the Dutchman remains calm on the matter, as he focused on the positive aspects of his side's performance.

When asked if he has spoken to United's board, he told Sky Sports: "We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through. It's a long-term process.

"I think it's the fourth clean sheet this season. You saw we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team; determined, resilient.

"We almost didn't concede a chance. At the end, they had a big chance [Diogo Dalot blocking Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time attempt], but I think it was almost the only chance.

"We have come through two very tough away games. This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have."

However, only 19th-place Southampton (four) have scored fewer goals than United (five) so far, while only in 1972-73 (four) have they ever netted fewer in their first seven matches of a top-flight campaign.

Ten Hag acknowledged his players must show a greater cutting edge in attack.

"We have created loads of chances in our seven games, but we have to step up," he added. 

"We know, at this moment, we have a lack of goals. In that perspective, it's not a good start. That's an area we have to improve."

Meanwhile, Jonny Evans said he and his team-mates have been affected by the speculation surrounding Ten Hag, but praised the spirit demonstrated by the team.

"It does affect the players. It's on our minds, too," the defender told BBC Match of the Day.

"I think the more experience I've got in my career, I've made sure I do everything to be ready and give everything I can to the team.

"That was the important thing, to show the spirit in the team. Everyone competed as much as they could. That's a pleasing thing to see."

Aston Villa and Manchester United shared the spoils in an underwhelming 0-0 draw at Villa Park.

With both sides having been in European action in midweek, albeit to varying degrees of success, there was a lethargic feel to Sunday's clash.

Both sides went close early in the second half. Emiliano Martinez tipped over Marcus Rashford's fierce drive, while Youri Tieleman's long-range strike was pushed away by Andre Onana. 

Bruno Fernandes almost broke the deadlock in the 68th minute – the United skipper rattling the crossbar with a 25-yard free-kick.

Diogo Dalot made a vital intervention to block Jaden Philogene's stoppage-time effort, as neither team were able to find the breakthrough.

Unai Emery's side sit fifth on 14 points, while United are 14th on eight points, which is their lowest ever tally after seven matches of a Premier League campaign.

Data Debrief: Unwanted history for United

After their latest stalemate, United are now without a win in five matches across all competitions (drawn four), as the wait for a victory continues for the under-pressure Erik ten Hag.

As well as being their worst start to a Premier League season, eight points is their lowest tally at this stage of a league campaign since 1989-90 (seven) under Alex Ferguson, who watched on from the stands.

On a brighter note, they were able to hold out for a third successive away clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time since March 2021.

As for Villa, they extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches, but have now won just one of their last 26 top-flight matches against United on home soil.

Manchester United are in desperate need of a Premier League win when they take on Aston Villa on Sunday.

The pressure has piled on Erik ten Hag after last week's sorry 3-0 loss at Tottenham.

United have lost three of their six league fixtures this season, winning just twice - against Southampton and Fulham - while they have lost their last two home matches in the top flight by an aggregate score of 6-0.

Their tally of seven points is their joint-fewest after six games of any Premier League season (two wins, one draw, three losses), having made identical starts under David Moyes in 2013-14 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.

They now face another of the league's top teams when they take on Villa, who are fresh from their Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich and unbeaten in four league matches.

United, meanwhile, were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw at Porto in the Europa League, with Harry Maguire's late leveller doing little to ease the pressure on Ten Hag.

Here, we crunch the numbers and dive into the Opta insights ahead of Sunday's clash.

What's expected?

As far as home defeats in the Manchester rain go, last week's capitulation against Spurs was as bad as they get.

Ten Hag looked on miserably as United, who were reduced to 10 men when Bruno Fernandes was sent off late in the first half (that red card has now been rescinded), were carved open time and time again.

Spurs generated a huge expected goals (xG) figure of 4.59 on Sunday – the third-highest United have allowed a Premier League opponent since such records began in 2009. Only versus Arsenal in December 2017 (a 3-1 win) and against Man City in October 2011 (a memorable 6-1 loss at Old Trafford), have United given up a greater quality of chances in a Premier League match.

United also saw their opponents have nine big chances – only in five previous games in Premier League history has a team had more big chances in one game (Man City v Watford 2019-20, Man Utd v Sunderland 2012-13, Arsenal v Fulham 2018-19, Arsenal v Stoke City 2015-16, Man City v Crystal Palace 2017-18 – all 10).

Villa, on the other hand, have won both of their Champions League games without conceding a goal, and though Ipswich Town fought back to draw 2-2 with them last weekend, Unai Emery's team have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign.

They have picked up 13 points in their opening six Premier League matches this season (four wins, one draw, one defeat), their best start to a season since 2008-09 under Martin O’Neill (also 13 points).

As such, it's no surprise to see Opta's supercomputer makes Villa the favourites with a 42% win probability, albeit the gap is perhaps not as big as one might expect. United came out on top in 33.2% of the model's simulations, while the threat of a draw is 24.8%.

And it is worth noting that United have a great record against the Villans.

United have won 40 Premier League games against Villa, with only the Red Devils themselves beating an opponent more often in the competition's history (41 vs Everton).

Villa have won just one of their last 25 Premier League home games against Manchester United (eight draws, 16 losses), with that victory coming in Emery's first game in charge of the club in November 2022 (3-1).

Duran's hungry like a wolf

Forgive the quite abysmal Duran Duran reference, but Villa's fans are surely going to be pulling out the 1980s hits this season if their super-sub forward Jhon Duran continues to thrive as he is right now.

Duran scored a brilliant lob to see off Bayern in midweek, taking his tally of goals for the season to five in all competitions - all of those have come from the bench. His four league strikes have come from just 2.1 xG.

He has also netted four league goals in his last four league appearances at Villa Park, all as a substitute.

The 20-year-old averages a goal every 43 minutes at Villa Park in the competition, the second-best ratio by a player at a single venue (250+ minutes played there), behind Luis Suarez at Carrow Road (a goal every 38 minutes).

Duran is averaging a goal every 39 minutes this season in the league - in comparison, 10-goal Erling Haaland averages one every 54 minutes.

The Colombian has had just 10 shots in the league this term, so he has a 40% shot-conversion rate, the best rate in the competition of any player to score more than three times.

With such a quality talent in reserve, Villa's attack will surely be licking their lips if they can get at United's defence in the same way Spurs did.

Since Emery's first Premier League game in charge, only Man City (85), Liverpool (84) and Arsenal (81) have picked up more home points than Villa (74).

Among Villa managers to take charge of five or more home top-flight matches, only European Cup-winning boss Tony Barton (70%, won 37/53) has a better home win percentage than Emery (66%, won 23/35).

Leaking like Old Trafford's roof

United have actually kept successive away clean sheets in the league, winning 3-0 against Southampton and drawing 0-0 with Crystal Palace. They last kept three away clean sheets in a row in March 2021.

However, United have lost eight Premier League matches by a margin of three or more goals under Ten Hag. Since the start of 2022-23, the only current Premier League managers to suffer more 3+ goal defeats are Gary O'Neil and Sean Dyche (nine each).

United so often leave wide open spaces in midfield and huge gaps in defence, with defenders isolated in one-v-ones. 

Despite conceding only eight goals, United have an xG against of 11.04 so far in the league this season – that is the fifth-worst total in the league, lower than only the three promoted clubs and Brentford.

That is despite United allowing just 74 shots, which ranks ninth in the top flight. However, United’s average per-shot xGA is 0.14, which is the second-worst in the league, after Brighton (0.17).

Ten Hag has to find a defensive formula that works if United are to get something out of this game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa - Ollie Watkins

While the limelight is on Duran, it is worth mentioning that Watkins has also scored four Premier League goals this term.

Watkins has been involved in 55 goals in 67 Premier League appearances under Emery for Aston Villa (36 goals, 19 assists), with only Erling Haaland (65) and Mohamed Salah (60) scoring or assisting more goals in that time. The former Brentford attacker is looking to score in four games in a row for the first time since April 2023.

Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes

United will be delighted Fernandes will be available for this game. He was set to miss just his eighth match for the club since his debut in February 2020, with the Red Devils winless in their last four (one draw, three losses) and failing to score in their last three without the Portuguese international in the team.

Fernandes has had 17 shots in the Premier League this season, but is yet to score.

That tally of shots is the most any player who is yet to score this season has had across the entirety of Europe's top five leagues this season.

Vincent Kompany lamented Bayern Munich's profligacy and urged his team to learn from their mistakes after their 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

Jhon Duran's superb finish at Villa Park saw the hosts claim all three points in Wednesday's Champions League encounter.

It was just the second meeting between Villa and Bayern, with the first having come back in the 1982 European Cup final, which the English team won 1-0.

Bayern had their chances, though, having 17 shots, getting seven on target and mustering 1.42 expected goals (xG), with Emiliano Martinez making a string of fine stops late on.

"We missed some big chances and they scored the chance. We've got to take the learnings from this," said Kompany after suffering his first defeat as Bayern head coach.

"When we have the ball, we're dangerous, but they're a strong team, this isn't an easy place. It wasn't a bad performance.

"If you don't take your chances, it can happen.

"We had big chances, we didn't score them. We gave away a moment and in that moment obviously Villa scored a goal.

"I understand the occasion it was for the opponent and it was a special night for them."

Villa became the second English side to win their first two Champions League games (since 1992-93), after Leicester City in 2016-17.

Bayern, meanwhile, saw their 41-game unbeaten run in the group/league stage of UEFA's elite club competition (the longest such run in the tournament's history) come to an end.

"When we have the ball, we're dangerous, but [Villa] are a strong team, this isn't an easy place. It wasn't a bad performance," Kompany added.

"We conceded very few chances. If we focus on our own work, we will win a lot of games still." 

Bayern visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Aston Villa made a "statement" with their "unreal" victory over European heavyweights Bayern Munich, according to Emiliano Martinez.

Villa won 1-0 on Wednesday to make it two victories from two games in the Champions League, as they claimed their second triumph over Bayern from as many meetings, with their previous success against them having come by the same scoreline in the 1982 European Cup final.

The German giants dominated possession and accrued 1.42 expected goals (xG) to Villa's 0.4, but the only stat that mattered at Villa Park was the scoreline.

Substitute Jhon Duran was the hero as he scooped a brilliant finish over Manuel Neuer from outside the box in the 79th minute, with Martinez subsequently pulling off a string of fine stops to deny Bayern an equaliser.

"It's unreal. It's a night that we will remember for a long time. It's a statement," said Villa's World Cup-winning goalkeeper.

"[The noise] was hurting my ears. This is a club that's moving forward. I love playing here. I love the fans."

Duran, who reportedly came close to leaving Villa in the summer, has started the season brilliantly, and now has a Champions League goal to go with his four in the Premier League.

"He's an excellent substitute," Martinez said of the Colombian, whose five goals have all come from the bench.

"The first time he touched the ball, he chipped Neuer – one of the most beautiful goals in history."

Unai Emery, meanwhile, said Duran's goal was a pre-planned tactic.

"In the analysis we did, we were speaking a lot about the usual position of Neuer, which is high," Emery said of Villa's pre-match conversations.

"He [Duran] had in his mind this possibility about Neuer.

"He is young, he has huge potential. As a player, I have to let him play, put him on the field, because his talent is there, his capacity to help us.

"We are working with him. Most important is his attitude. He's available to play 90, 60, 30 minutes. He's been focusing each minute he's playing.

"It's fantastic for him and the team."

Emery also had warm words for Martinez, adding: "Martinez did an amazing job, amazing saves."