Manchester United leave Villa Park with nothing on the scoreboard, but once again the performance tells a more complicated story.

In this episode, I react to the 2–1 defeat at Aston Villa — a game where United were arguably the better side for long spells, created the clearer chances, and still found a way to lose.

I look at Bruno Fernandes’ injury and what it means in the short term, the growing sense that United are starting to look like a coherent team again, and why this performance — frustrating as the result was — gives me more reason for optimism than many recent wins have.

Another defeat.
 Another step forward.
 And another reminder that progress doesn’t always arrive neatly on the results sheet.