Manchester United fight back for 4-4 draw vs Aston Villa, hand Carrick lifeline

Manchester United staged a dramatic comeback from two goals down twice to snatch a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford. Late goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescued a point and eased pressure on Michael Carrick.

In Short

• Manchester United came from two goals down twice to secure a 4-4 draw
• Late strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescued a point for United
• The result eased pressure on Michael Carrick after a dramatic Old Trafford clash

Manchester United handed their fans despair and ecstasy in equal amounts on Sunday, November 8 at Old Trafford. Some fans were leaving the stadium in the dying moments of the match had to rush back in to see their side comeback from two goals down twice to secure a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.

The result that came on the back of United's sensational Champions League win over AS Roma mid-week, eased some pressure on manager Michael Carrick, whose substitutions worked like a treat on Sunday. Villa were left rueing their luck at the end of the day as manager Unai Emery still remains without a win at Old Trafford.

Villa were 2-0 up within the first four minutes as Alysson put them ahead right afterv kickoff with a shot right through the legs of Senne Lammens. The United goalkeeper was at fault again when he failed to clear a shot from Alysson and it fell to Nicholas Jackson, who buried it into the net.

As United fans looked stunned by what was transpiring before them, their side produced a comeback into the contest. Matheus Cunha, who was the hero against Roma, 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 aggressive of both sides and Zion Suzuki was called into making some spectacular saves to preserve his side's lead.

However, in the 44th minute, Youri Tielmans came back to haunt his former side to level the score, making it 2-2.

UNITED FALL AND RISE AGAIN

One of the main issues with United this season has been their defence, which was weakened by the exit of Harry Maguire with an injury. With Ayden Heaven coming on, Villa sensed the chance to create chaos within the United ranks and that's exactly what happened.

Diogo Dalot, who has been at the centre of criticism for his performances, was struggling to handle Alysson throughout the game and committed a costly error of conceding a penalty.

John McGinn stepped up to bury the chance in the 48th minute and give Villa the lead once again as the familiar sinking feeling was coming back 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.

From here, it seemed like United had run of steam and ideas, when Carrick decided to roll the dice with his substitutes. He first brought on Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount for Dalot and Tielmans, 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 was perfectly at the feet of Zirkzee, who cut the deficit down to 3-4. Lacey continued to be a menace and made Villa concede a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time that saw Lammens make his way to the box.

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 couldn't find its way to anyone.

The result meant that United are still in the relegation zone in 18th place with just one win from their first 10 games.

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