Aston Villa finally collected their first Premier League point of the season at Hull City, but another goalless display left Unai Emery with plenty to think about.
Villa were improved from the defeats to Brighton and Arsenal and finally registered a shot on target, but a 0-0 draw means they have now gone three league matches without scoring.
George Hemmings was one of the brighter performers, while Boubacar Kamara again provided control in midfield. At the other end, Nicolas Jackson struggled to make enough of Villa’s limited chances.
Here are our Aston Villa player ratings from the MKM Stadium.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Hull City
Zion Suzuki: 7/10
A much quieter afternoon than Brighton.
Suzuki dealt with what came his way and recorded Villa’s first clean sheet of the season.
Hull’s biggest moment came when Mohamed Belloumi rattled the crossbar after the hour mark, with Suzuki beaten by the strike. ESPN’s match commentary described the effort as Hull’s clearest opening of the second half.
Still, another composed performance from the summer signing.
Matty Cash: 6.5/10
Emery kept faith with Cash despite Aaron Wan-Bissaka being available.
He was solid enough defensively and tried to provide width, but Villa needed more quality from their full-backs when trying to break down Hull’s organised shape.
Victor Lindelöf: 7/10
Another steady display.
Hull offered more threat as the second half progressed, but Lindelöf defended his area well and helped Villa secure a clean sheet.
The summer signing has quickly looked like one of Emery’s more dependable defensive options.
Tyrone Mings: 7.5/10
Strong return to the starting XI.
Mings dealt well with Hull’s physical approach and looked comfortable alongside Lindelöf.
Villa’s inability to score will dominate the reaction, but a first league clean sheet is at least something positive to take from the afternoon.
Ian Maatsen: 7/10
One of Villa’s more progressive players.
Maatsen created an early chance for Jackson with a dangerous delivery from the left and regularly tried to move Villa forward.
His performance reinforced why he remains an important attacking outlet from full-back.
George Hemmings provides rare attacking spark
Ross Barkley: 7/10
Probably Villa’s best midfielder alongside Kamara.
Barkley got into shooting positions repeatedly during the first half and helped Villa produce considerably more attacking activity than in their opening two games.
ESPN recorded three Barkley efforts before the interval, including one from inside the penalty area.
Not everything came off, but he at least tried to make things happen.
Boubacar Kamara: 7.5/10
Another quietly important performance.
Kamara helped Villa control longer spells of possession and drew a booking from Lucas Gourna-Douath during the second half.
Villa remain heavily reliant on him while Amadou Onana is injured and João Gomes suspended.
That importance was already highlighted when UEFA singled Kamara out as Aston Villa’s key player.
George Hemmings: 8/10
Villa’s best outfield player.
Hemmings produced the moment which finally ended Villa’s embarrassing shot-on-target drought.
His first-half effort forced Hull goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis into action and gave Villa their first effort on target of the Premier League season.
He also created one of Villa’s best second-half openings when his work down the left led to a chance inside the box.
ESPN recorded Hemmings’ first-half opportunity at 0.12 xG and 0.18 xGOT.
The academy youngster justified Emery keeping him in the side.
John McGinn: 6/10
A frustrating afternoon.
McGinn had Villa’s clearest chance after the restart but sent a high-value opportunity off target from around 10 yards.
ESPN rated the chance at 0.62 xG, comfortably Villa’s best opportunity of the game.
Those are the moments Villa simply have to start converting.
Emiliano Buendía: 5.5/10
Could not provide the decisive quality Villa needed.
Buendía found some pockets of space and worked hard, but his biggest second-half opportunity ended with the ball going over.
With Garnacho and Mbaye waiting for opportunities, Emery needs more end product from his established attackers.
Nicolas Jackson: 5.5/10
Still waiting for his first Villa goal.
Jackson had an excellent early headed opportunity from Maatsen’s delivery, with ESPN recording it at 0.22 xG, but failed to convert.
There were useful runs and moments of combination play, but Villa need their striker to become much more decisive inside the box.
Three league matches without a team goal inevitably increases the scrutiny.
Aston Villa substitutes
Alejandro Garnacho: 6/10
Introduced late as Emery looked for a breakthrough.
Added some direct running but did not have enough time to materially change the game.
Matteo Ruggeri: 6/10
Replaced Maatsen and helped Villa see out the clean sheet.
Alysson: 6/10
Another opportunity for the youngster late on.
Showed energy but could not provide the decisive moment Villa desperately needed.
Aston Villa player of the match: George Hemmings
For the third game running, Villa’s attack failed to score.
But Hemmings was at least responsible for one important bit of progress.
His first-half effort finally ended the run of more than 200 Premier League minutes without a shot on target, and he consistently looked willing to attack Hull rather than simply recycle possession.
That makes his continued emergence one of the few obvious positives from Villa’s opening weeks.
The wider attacking issue remains impossible to ignore.
Our pre-match analysis warned that Villa risked making unwanted Premier League history at Hull, and the latest blank means Emery’s side have now failed to score in their opening three league fixtures for a second successive season.
Even more strikingly, Emery left £47million signing Ibrahim Mbaye on the bench throughout the game despite Villa again failing to find the net.
That decision may now become the biggest post-match talking point.
Player of the match: George Hemmings, 8/10.
