United went into the game having lost 3-0 to Liverpool and Tottenham in the Premier League, along with drawing 3-3 against FC Porto in the Europa League.
But they did earn a creditable draw to put their campaign somewhat back on track.
Evans said: “We put a lot into our defending. We saw our two forwards working back and helping - in order to get that clean sheet you’re maybe going to sacrifice a bit.
“For us, it’s about finding that balance. The confidence we get from that clean sheet hopefully, in turn, that can give us the belief when we’re going forward. Sometimes, you have to grind it out, go back to basics and we did that.
“Villa are a good side. We defended crosses well, we got blocks in, limited them a lot, inventive at set-pieces. I know the set-piece coach (Austin MacPhee) very well from internationals, he was involved with Northern Ireland for a long time, so I know he will have them well-drilled and well set-up and I think he’s proved that over the years with a lot of variations, so we had to be ready.”