Aston Villa caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson right from the start of the Premier League season, even though they suffered a 5-1 defeat against Newcastle United.
Even though Unai Emery's team got sliced apart at St James' Park, they still caught Ferguson's attention with their play. The ex-Manchester United manager was surprised by the final score, thinking it didn't match how the game went.
On NBC Sports before Manchester United's match with Wolves, Ferguson was asked which team stood out to him in the opening round. His answer was clear and unexpected.
Quote by the Mirror, Ferguson said: "To be honest with you. I watched Aston Villa and I can't believe the scoreline
"Honestly, Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals. Newcastle are going to be very difficult to beat, in their own ground in particular, and their manager has done a great job there.
"It's a surprising game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score - that's what Aston Villa did."
