Manchester United staged a dramatic comeback from two goals down twice to snatch a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, with late goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescuing a point.
Manchester United handed their fans despair and ecstasy in equal amounts on Sunday, November 8, at Old Trafford, fighting back from two goals down twice to secure a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.
Villa strike twice in four minutes
Aston Villa were 2-0 up within the first four minutes. Alysson put the visitors ahead right after kickoff with a shot through the legs of goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The United goalkeeper was at fault again soon after, failing to clear a shot from Alysson, and the ball fell to Nicholas Jackson, who buried it to double the lead.
United looked stunned by what was happening, but they produced a comeback into the contest. Matheus Cunha, who had been the hero against Roma in midweek, was brought down in the penalty box by Kamara, and Bruno Fernandes stepped up in the 16th minute to make it 2-1.
United continued to be the more aggressive side, and Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was called into making some spectacular saves to preserve the visitors' lead. Then, in the 44th minute, Youri Tielemans levelled the score, making it 2-2 before half-time.
United fall behind again after the break
One of the main issues for United this season has been their defence, weakened by the exit of Harry Maguire with an injury. With Ayden Heaven coming on, Villa sensed a chance to create chaos in the United ranks, and that is exactly what happened.
Diogo Dalot, who has been at the centre of criticism for his performances, struggled to handle Alysson throughout the game and committed a costly error by conceding a penalty. John McGinn stepped up to bury the spot kick in the 48th minute and give Villa the lead once again, as the familiar sinking feeling returned for the United fans.
Just five minutes later, a freekick from McGinn caused chaos inside the box as Leny Yoro's clearance went off the bar and fell to Leon Goretzka, who scored his first goal for Villa to make it 4-2.
Carrick rolls the dice from the bench
From there, it seemed like United had run out of steam and ideas, when manager Michael Carrick decided to roll the dice with his substitutes. He first brought on Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount for Dalot and Tielemans, which brought some spark to the United side.
Shea Lacey and Joshua Zirkzee soon followed as United kept on pushing. But it was looking like they were heading for another loss as the stoppage time board went up showing six minutes.
Dorgu made a fine run on the left and his pass found Zirkzee, who cut the deficit to 3-4. Lacey continued to be a menace and made Villa concede a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time, which saw Lammens make his way into the box.
Dorgu completes the comeback
Suzuki made a hash of the clearance and ran into traffic as the ball fell kindly to Dorgu, who guided it into the net to make it 4-4. United even had a chance at the end, but Mount's pass could not find anyone.
The result came on the back of United's Champions League win over AS Roma in midweek, and it eased some pressure on Carrick, whose substitutions worked well on Sunday. Villa were left rueing their luck at the end, as manager Unai Emery still remains without a win at Old Trafford.
The result meant that United are still in the relegation zone in 18th place, with just one win from their first 10 games of the season.
