Manchester United would have closed to six points behind
Chelsea in fourth if they had beaten Aston Villa. Instead, after a sluggish opening-half display, they and their visitors engaged in a kind of high-speed ping-pong following which a draw felt the right outcome.
The breathless fare made a fine spectacle but Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Dean Smith will hardly be happy at the time and space their teams allowed. Juan Mata was Solskjær’s sole change from the 3-3 draw at Sheffield United, the Spaniard replacing Phil Jones after not starting in the league since early October.