Following on from the frenetic nature of our last game away, at FC Porto in midweek, this meeting with Unai Emery's side in the Midlands was a much tighter contest, with few clear openings for either side.

Much of that was to United's credit, though, as we restricted Aston Villa to little in the final third, while going close on a couple of occasions at the other end – notably, hitting the woodwork twice in the second half through Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. Although the manager did also acknowledge our need to do more in the final third.

While we looked solid in our shape, there were some crucial interventions made by the players in our back line, with Jonny Evans a standout performer for the Reds, as were his centre-back partners for the day, Harry Maguire and then Matthijs de Ligt, who played a half each due to the former's enforced withdrawal at the break.

Diogo Dalot produced a heroic block deep into added time to keep out Jaden Philogene's late strike, while Andre Onana also made a number of eye-catching saves.

You can read how the manager elaborated on the praise for his team, as well as being asked about a number of other topics by the media, by reading every word from his post-match press conference below...

How do you reflect on the performance and result after a difficult week?

"This is our fourth clean sheet of this season and that tells something about the control we have in and out of possession, we are organised very well. In many games so far we create loads of chances – today we didn’t create that much, but we had the chances, with Rashford before half-time and after half-time. We had a free-kick from Bruno on the crossbar. And then also we have to see that in the end, when we defend like we did today, very solid, that you also have some luck in the end. They created probably the best [chance] of game, [with] the deflected shot and the block from Diogo."

Have you spoken to Sir Jim Ratcliffe or Dan Ashworth or Omar Berrada since the game?

"I speak continually with them and, just after the game, I have to do my job, talk with the players, manage the players, and answer questions for you."

Do you expect to have talks with them in the coming days?

"We always talk, every week – I would say every day we talk. So, yeah, I expect I would speak with them [this week]."

Erik, individual performances today were quite good, but you’re still well in the bottom half of the table – you haven’t won for five matches. Do those things matter when you’re speaking with the owners? There’s obviously a lot of external noise. What’s the feeling like inside the club?

"I think, Simon, you said it very good: external noise. Internal? We are disappointed and we know we have to do better. Especially, we need to score more because that is, in this moment, the area after this block of games where we are really short. All the other areas, I think we are doing really well: four clean sheets, so that tells something about the defending, organisation. Also the defending of defensive transitions, we are doing really well, so we are really improving on that point. Our build-up play is good, we are calm, composed. We are creating the chances, apart from today. Today we should create more. But, yeah, in that area, in the box of the opponent, we have to be more ruthless, more clinical, more killing, and we have to work on this."

So you feel the ownership are solidly behind you?

"I don’t have any idea that is different, because they should have told me. We communicate very open, very transparent."

Erik, why can’t you score a goal? Five all season in the Premier League – only Southampton have scored fewer. You’ve got expensive strikers, are they not good enough? What’s the reason you can’t score goals?

"That will come. [There are] more reasons. Sometimes it’s the form. Rasmus Hojlund is just in the season, he is not up to 100 [per cent] fitness, match fitness. And he is our goalscorer, I would say our best goalscorer. But also others, we know they can score goals, like Rashford. But he scored in Porto, he had a good assist in Porto, today he created two very good chances. I think Garnacho is all season already a threat, but also scoring and assisting. Bruno has abilities to score goals. So we will get there and we trust the players. One day it will click."

Erik, you changed the centre-backs – just explain the thinking behind it. Jonny Evans played very well, but it’s unusual to see Martinez and De Ligt both out of the team.

"Rotation. We have loads of games. We have to rotate the team, the freshness, and I think it was a good decision today. I think the performances from Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, they were very solid. But, also, I think Matthijs de Ligt came in at half-time and was very solid."

Was there any consideration to putting Licha on at left-back and switching [Dalot], rather than Lindelof at right-back?

"Of course, you take everything into consideration, but [there were] more reasons. Then you have to change the back four totally, that is one. And Jonny Evans, I didn’t know if he could come to an end and I [would] have to sub again. So, yeah, [it's] always [about] consideration. One for one, for me, was the best idea."

Do you think Marcus was a bit lucky to stay on the pitch today, to not get a second yellow card, just in terms of the current climate? Or is it much better to actually have a referee with a bit of a common sense to make that decision?

"It was maybe a second foul, but that would be very harsh. But, yeah, you can have the feeling in an away stadium and when you make another one [foul], then you have to hope for the refereeing, what they are doing. So I thought it was the best idea to take him off to protect the team but also to protect him."

The referee didn’t communicate that to you, that you should take him off, or anything like that?

"No, that is not what referees are doing."