Manchester United were dealt a reality check in their pre-season friendly against Aston Villa on Saturday. It had been all sunshine and rainbows for the Red Devils prior to their clash with the Villans as they transitioned into the Erik ten Hag era with wins over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace.
With 11 goals scored across the three triumphs and some impressive football delivered along the way, we were all guilty of getting a little overexcited about United‘s new lease of life under Ten Hag.
And while drawing 2-2 with Villa in a match that ultimately means nothing doesn’t eradicate all that exhilaration, there’s no denying that it pumped the brakes on the hype train nevertheless.
Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had given the Old Trafford club a 2-0 lead at half-time in Perth, before Leon Bailey and Callum Chambers struck after the break to ensure that the spoils were shared.