Five talking points as Man Utd's top-four hopes suffer blow at home to Watford

Manchester United 's hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League suffered a blow in their 0-0 draw at home to Watford.

Ralf Rangnick 's men were unable to make it three successive league wins by squandering a multitude of opportunities in front of a frustrated Old Trafford.

The Hornets, meanwhile, came away with a valuable point in their fight for survival, often riding their luck and benefiting from the Red Devils' toothless nature.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Elanga beared most of the blame, failing to finish when Rangnick's game-plan allowed them to constantly open the Watford defence up and ultimately manage 22 shots.

Here are five talking points from Old Trafford.

Join the debate! Where will Man Utd finish this season? Let us know your prediction below.

1. Rangnick shuffles his pack

For the first time since the mid-season break, the next week will see United be without a midweek match.

But that didn't stop Rangnick from making four changes to his starting XI from Wednesday's dull 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

All four England internationals - including Harry Maguire - dropped to the bench, with Elanga the most notable inclusion following his well-taken equaliser in the round-of-16 first leg.

And while many expected Paul Pogba to head onto the left flank as a result of the changes, it was Fernandes - also handed the captain's armband.

2. Classy pre-match gesture

Football has rightly taken a backseat in our minds this week, with the harrowing events in Ukraine taking centre stage across the world.

Following Vladimir Putin 's savage invasion, the most notable move from the Red Devils was to cut ties with Russian-owned airline sponsor Aeroflot.

But after the pre-match handshakes, Rangnick - donning a 'No War' badge - and both teams held up a banner that made United's stance on the atrocities clear.

"Peace," it simply read, with the idea bring the brainchild of the acclaimed German coach, who worked in Moscow prior to joining the 20-time English champions in December.

3. Same old story

Once the game got under way, the Red Devils subjected their supporters to a case of deja vu.

Dominating possession, United failed to make any of their five openings count.

Ronaldo even had the ball in the back of the net after hitting the post early on, but his finish after Fernandes' cross was ruled out for offside.

Then came a chance for the latter, who somehow failed to beat former Red Devil Ben Foster with acres of space in the Watford penalty area.

Fernandes squandered another opportunity, as did Elanga, to ensure that the first 45 minutes contained plenty of frustration but no goal.

4. No favour from VAR

Although the Hornets' defending was commendable to stifle United's attack, left-back Hassan Kamara was fortunate not to concede a penalty shortly before the hour mark.

Attempting to clear, the Ivorian bundled into Ronaldo and narrowly managed to get the ball away.

The vast majority of Old Trafford appealed vehemently, prompting the VAR team at Stockley Park to check the decision made by referee Kevin Friend.

But their hopes were dashed when Friend eventually waved play on, just as his did after Craig Cathcart 's forceful challenge on Elanga midway through the first half.

5. Hodgson and co's slow burn

Although it's fair to say Watford rode their luck at Old Trafford and hardly offered much of their own, Hodgson guided his relegation-battling team to their third clean sheet in his six games in charge.

Foster has certainly had busier afternoons but the experienced stopper and the Hornets defence were resolute to earn a draw, despite conceding a whopping 2.53 expected goals.

With Newcastle's win at Brentford and Burnley nabbing a point at Crystal Palace, it was crucial that the visitors came away from Manchester with something - and that something was a point.