Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa: Remarkable comeback gives Carrick valuable point

Premier League,
Round 10

Manchester United
MUN

Aston Villa
AST

Old Trafford

Chris Kavanagh

Bruno Fernandes 16′ (Pen)
Youri Tielemans 44′
Joshua Zirkzee 90+2′
Patrick Dorgu 90+6′

Alysson Edward Franco da Rocha 1′
Nicolas Jackson 4′
John McGinn 48′ (Pen)
Leon Goretzka 53′

Patrick Dorgu scored a 96th-minute equaliser as Manchester United twice came from two goals down to claim a remarkable 4-4 draw with Aston Villa that could keep Michael Carrick in a job.

United in midweek produced a stirring comeback to give their under-pressure boss a much-needed win as they recovered from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League.

And that same resilience permeated through a United performance in which the defensive failings that have piled so much pressure on Carrick were on full display.

Villa were 2-0 up inside four minutes through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson, but that advantage was erased by a Bruno Fernandes penalty and a Youri Tielemans' strike against his former club.

But, after going into half-time level, United capitulated again, John McGinn restoring VIlla's advantage from the penalty spot before Leon Goretzka pounced on a dreadful error from Lenny Yoro.

It looked as if that would be enough to give Villa a first win at Old Trafford since 2021, but Joshua Zirkzee gave United hope in the 92nd minute with a cool finish.

And poor goalkeeping from Zion Suzki enabled Dorgu to nod home into an empty net from a corner, earning United a point and giving the club hierarchy a difficult decision to make concerning Carrick's future.

United sit third bottom in the Premier League table with just eight points from 10 games and only Sunderland and Crystal Palace propping them up. The Red Devils visit Liverpool after the break but, despite another spirited fightback, it remains questionable whether Carrick will be in the away dugout for that game.

Alysson opened the scoring after just 59 seconds as he slotted through the legs of Senne Lammens at the far post.

Jackson was then presented with a simple task to make it 2-0, firing in on the rebound from point-blank range after Lammens spilled a relatively tame Alysson strike.

With the goal scored on three minutes and 40 seconds, that marked the earliest United have been 2-0 down in the Premier League.

Yet Villa were underwhelming after doubling their lead and United pulled one back from the spot, Fernandes nonchalantly converting after Matheus Cunha was hacked down by Boubacar Kamara.

Cunha was then denied as Suzuki turned his curling effort round the post, with Fernandes then hitting the post before drawing another fine save from the Villa goalkeeper.

The impressive Amad Diallo saw a strike deflected wide before curling another narrowly off target and it looked as if Villa would survive until the interval with their lead intact when Suzuki kept a further Diallo effort from finding the far corner.

But it was Tielemans who restored parity, meeting Noussair Mazraoui's pull back with a low shot that proved strong for Suzuki, who was unsighted by Bryan Mbeumo, though the United forward was crucially stood in an onside position.

Alysson spurned a gilt-edged chance to put Villa back in front just before half-time but, after he was tripped by Dalot two minutes into the second half, McGinn stepped up to send Lammens the wrong way,

And Villa had their two-goal advantage restored as Yoro headed against his own bar from a free-kick, the ball falling kindly for Goretzka to lash in from point-blank range.

Villa appeared to be managing the game perfectly with United carrying little threat for much of a second half during which the home fans seemed resigned to defeat, with Mason Mount unable to lift spirits as he clattered the crossbar.

Yet Zirkzee was an unlikely source of belief for United, the Dutchman halving the deficit with a first-time finish from Dorgu's low delivery.

And Dorgu, returning from a thigh injury, provided an even greater demonstration of his value as he then turn in from Fernandes' corner, Suzuki guilty of another error as he attempted to claim a delivery he never seemed likely to claim, his protests proving in vain as VAR ruled he had not been fouled by a United player while trying to collect.

Furious Villa boss Unai Emery stormed down the tunnel, while a seemingly bewildered Carrick took in the acclaim of the United fans that remained to see the unlikely fightback. Even with this latest show of spirit, it remains a distinct possibility that lap of honour could be his last as United boss.

The Premier League Table

#	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Last 5
1	Arsenal	10	9	0	1	15	5	10	27	W W W W W
2	Brighton	10	7	1	2	26	7	19	22	W W L W W
3	Manchester City	10	7	0	3	21	13	8	21	L L L W W
4	Liverpool	10	5	3	2	14	10	4	18	W L W W L
5	Chelsea	10	5	1	4	19	16	3	16	L W L W W
6	Everton	10	4	4	2	12	10	2	16	W W L L D
7	Bournemouth	10	4	3	3	16	14	2	15	W W W W L
8	Brentford	10	3	5	2	16	11	5	14	L W D L D
9	Leeds	10	3	5	2	10	8	2	14	W L D D L
10	Tottenham	10	3	3	4	10	11	-1	12	L W W W D
11	Newcastle	10	3	3	4	13	16	-3	12	D L W L L
12	Aston Villa	9	3	3	3	10	13	-3	12	D D W W D
13	Hull City	10	2	5	3	11	11	0	11	L D D L D
14	Ipswich	10	3	2	5	15	20	-5	11	L D D L W
15	Fulham	10	2	4	4	10	12	-2	10	D D W W L
16	Nottingham Forest	10	2	3	5	9	13	-4	9	W L D L L
17	Coventry	10	3	0	7	10	19	-9	9	L W L L W
18	Sunderland	10	2	2	6	8	17	-9	8	W L D L L
19	Manchester United	9	1	4	4	10	15	-5	7	D L L D D
20	Crystal Palace	10	2	1	7	10	24	-14	7	L L L L W

• Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Promotion – Champions League (League phase)
• Position 5 : Promotion – Europa League (League phase)
• Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation – Championship

Upcoming fixtures for Manchester United and Aston Villa