A STRANGE if always interesting match summed up by the fact that the Villa substitute lan Ormondroyd proved the major player in both goals.

The game ended all square before United's largest crowd of the season, a result which does nothing for the home side's hopes of closing the gap at the top and little for Villa's attempt to halt their slide down the table.

In cold statistics Villa have now taken only three points out of the last 15 but with their away form - this was only their fifth away point of the season - they will probably be thankful for small mercies.

Their decline since the highpoint of their splendid first leg victory over Internazionale has been one of the season's mysteries but they fully deserved their point here.

United, it seemed, were in one of their casual moods but then in the 20th minute they broke forward with real purpose as Hughes allowed Robson's angled ball to run. Irwin gained a yard on Ormondroyd and was breaking onto it with the goal looming when Ormondroyd sent him spinning with a desperate lunge.

There could only be one outcome and Bruce beat Spink with finality for his third goal from the spot in a week.

For the next ten minutes United's football began to flow. Ince hit a post after a superb one-two with Webb took him clear, Mountfield blocking Sharpe's attempt to force home the rebound, and with Webb and Sharpe hovering menacingly, suddenly United looked full of goals. But with McGrath in dominating mood once again, the goals did not come.

With Paul McGrath in outstanding form, Cowans battling willingly and the two other centre-backs and Price also resisting purposefully, they matched United in most areas. A lack of goals, however, speaks for itself.

With only four goals from their strikers in the last ten matches, Villa brought in Dwight Yorke.

For a time Villa made little impact, their final passes letting down some otherwise neat football, but when Ormondroyd was given a chance to run at Irwin he went past the Irish international with disconcerting ease on the outside to hit over a fast low cross.

With Cascarino lurking Pallister had to do something and turned it past Sealey in his attempt to keep it away from the big Villa forward.

The goal was no more than Villa deserved and they might have taken the lead immediately after the intervaI as Cowans' corner glanced off a United head to arrive at Mountfield standing virtually under the bar.

The centre half looked to have been taken by surprise and his hasty header flew too high.

Villa were not to come that close again but with Cowans, Yorke and Platt chasing and harrying enthusiastically, and McGrath holding things together at the back they held on strongly.

Villa manager Jozef Venglos said:

"It was a good result for us.

“It was not easy for us, especially after losing Tony Daley injured after only ten minutes. We have had a few injury problems lately."