Manchester United’s six-match winning streak came to an end against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw by their hosts as Radamel Falcao’s powerful header cancelled out a stunning strike from Christian Benteke in the first half.

The result means United are now seven points behind neighbours Manchester City and leaders Chelsea in the Premier League table. Wins for West Ham and Southampton saw them close the gap on Louis Van Gaal’s men but Liverpool and Arsenal’s draw means those two sides did not gain any ground on 3rd placed United.

Here are five key thoughts following the draw at Villa Park.

1) United should have put Villa to the sword with a numerical advantage

Having got themselves back into the game in the second half, United had an opportunity to make it seven wins on the bounce when Gabriel Agbonlahor received his marching orders for a tackle on Ashley Young. With Villa at a disadvantage numerically, United failed to created many decent chances on goal in the final 20 minutes, which was a huge disappointment. There was a significant lack of cutting edge in the final third, which proved that it is still a work in progress.

The most frustrating part of the result was the fact that United were completely dominant in terms of possession but rarely attempted to penetrate the Villa backline. Van Gaal’s men were often camped inside the hosts’ final third but only once managed to find a final ball. There is still plenty to improve upon going forward.

2) 3rd place at Christmas, unbeaten in seven – It could be worse

The winning streak wasn’t going to last forever. If you look at the situation compared to last year, United are in a much stronger position. Sitting in third place, with their main top four rivals struggling to put any sort of run together, Van Gaal must be quietly confident of securing Champions League football for next season.

With players still to return from injury and significant depth to call upon if needed, United have the squad to kick on in the second half of the season. Another major plus point is the fact that United themselves haven’t played exceptionally well all year, yet still sit comfortably inside the top four. There is much more to come from this squad.

3) Falcao proves why he has to start

United fans finally got their wish at the weekend as Radamel Falcao made a long awaited start. The Colombian hit-man made an instant impact as he bagged United’s equaliser with a bullet header in the second period. It wasn’t just his goal that was most impressive about Falcao as he led the line well and often looked the most threatening player on the ball.

He was by no means in the sort of form that he showed two seasons ago but the goal should give him a huge confidence boost ahead of a tricky run of fixtures. United will need Falcao in the New Year as they look to solidify their position in the table and hopefully his goal at Villa Park will help kick-start a run of goal-scoring form.

4) The end of Darren Fletcher?

In the absence of Marouane Fellaini due to illness and Ander Herrera due to injury, Darren Fletcher was handed a rare start in central midfield. After all that has happened to Fletcher during his recent United career, it is always nice to see him get a game for his beloved club but there comes a point where you realise that a player just isn’t good enough anymore.

It is sad to say but Fletcher looked a shadow of his former energetic self as he struggled to have any impact on the game and was hauled off at half time as a result. When Michael Carrick was pushed into his favoured midfield role, United looked much more dangerous in the second half. The desire and perseverance Fletcher has shown to make it back into the first team is admirable, but it appears his time at Old Trafford could be coming to an end.

5) Evans struggling to hold onto place in the side

Jonny Evans continued in defence alongside Carrick and Phil Jones on Saturday but the Northern Irishman did not look convincing once again. Benteke’s goal was undoubtedly a brilliant strike but Evans stood off him and gave him too much room to get the shot on goal. It was the latest in a long line of dodgy moments from United’s defence this season and it has to improve.

With Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo expected to return soon, Evans has a fight on his hands to keep his place in the starting line-up. When Van Gaal took over, Evans was expected to relish the role of senior defender following Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand’s departures but if anything, he has gone backwards. It is time for him to step up, or face a prolonged spell out of the team.